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YORKTOWN: 






A Compendious Account of the Campaign of the Allied French axd 
American Forces, resulting in the Surrender of Cornwallis 
and the close of the american revolution; the suc- 
CEEDING Events, to the Treaty of Peace ; and 
the Celebration of the Centennial 
Anniversary of the Surren- 
der AT YORKTOWN. 



BY 



JACOB HARRIS PATTON, A.M., 

Author of "A Concise History of the American People ;" "Resources of the United 
States;" "The Land we Live in," etc. 



KUustrateH 

With Portraits of Washington, Lafayette, Rochambeau, De Crasse, and Steuben ; Maps of 

the Peninsula and the Siege ; and Drawings of the Commemorative 

Franklin Medal and the York town Monument. 



1 



IK 



NEW YORK: 

FORDS, HOWARD, & HULBERT. 

1882. 



l 



5B 



CHOICE FICTION. 




ERICAN LIFE BY /HERON AUTHORS. 



A LB 1 OX IV. TOURGEE. 



By One of the Fools. 



521 pp. Frotitis- 



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Engraved after Marshall's steel engraving of Stuart's portrait in the Boston Athenaum. 



YORKTOWN: 



A Compendious Account of the Campaign of the Allied French and 
American Forces, resulting in the Surrender of Cornwallis 
and the close of the american revolution ; the suc- 
CEEDING Events, to the Treaty of Peace ; and 
the Celebration of the Centennial 
Anniversary of the Surren- 
der at Yorktown. 



by 



JACOB HARRIS PATTON, A.M., 

Author of "A Concise History of the American People;" "Resources of the United 
States;" "The Land we Live in," etc. 



XUustratetr 

With Portraits of Washington, Lafayette, Rochambeau, De Grasse, and Steuben ; Maps of 

the Peninsula and the Siege ; and Drawings of the Commemorative 

Franklin Medal and the Yorktown Monument. 






. 



NEW YORK: 

FORDS, HOWARD, & HULBERT. 

1882. 



> 



COPYRIGHT, l88l, 
BY FORDS, HOWARD, & HULBERT. 



V 






PREFACE. 



Of the celebrations of our " centennial " period, only two have been 
really national — the one at Philadelphia in 1876, commemorative of the sign- 
ing of the Declaration of Independence, and the one at Yorktown in 1881, 
on the anniversary of the surrender of Cornwallis. 

Herein is given an account of the latter celebration, including such facts 
as seemed worth preservation, printed in connection with an account of 
" The Campaign of the Allies," distinctively so called because it was the 
only instance during our Revolution in which there was perfect co-opera- 
tion of the French navy and army with the American forces. The sketch 
of the allied campaign and its attendant circumstances and results, was 
published in the Magazitie of American History for October, 1881 ; to it I 
have added some interesting details concerning the Yorktown siege, and 
the story of the two years immediately after the surrender of Cornwallis, 
down to the treaty of peace and the disbandment of the army ; together 
with descriptions of the Franklin medal, the monument ordered by Con- 
gress, and finally of the Centennial celebration, with excerpts showing the 
tone of the addresses. 

The Yorktown celebration was peculiarly interesting because of the pres- 
ence of representatives of those foreign friends who aided our fathers and 
were present at the surrender. The careers of Lafayette and Steuben receive 
some appropriate attention, and, throughout, the design has been to combine 
under the general title of " Yorktown" such material as should contribute 
to form a memorial of the two groups of events in 1781 and 1881. 

J. H. P. 



CONTENTS. 



• • » 



PAGE 

The Campaign of the Allies. 

Difficulties Surrounding Washington 9 

Arrangements of the Patriot Troops 10 

Affairs in the Carolinas 11 

March of Cornwallis through Virginia 12 

British Raids and Outrages 13 

Indecisive Conflicts 14 

The French Fleet and Delays 17 

Insubordination 17 

The Positions of Armies 18 

Campaign Plans ... 19 

Robert Morris, the American Financier 20 

Demonstrations against the City of New York 2 r 

The Allied Armies 22 

The Overruling Hand 22 

Changed Plan of Campaign 23 

March of the Allies 24 

British Attempts at a Diversion 25 

Cornwallis in the Toils 27 

The Investment of York , " 29 

The Capitulation and Surrender 3 1 

Rejoicing and Thanksgiving 33 

French Officers at the Siege of York 35 

Disposition and Order of Battle of the Allied Armies 36 

The Franklin Medal 38 

The Close of the War. 

After the Surrender 39 

General Discontent 40 

Peace 41 



vi CONTENTS. 

PACE 

Thi Crn i inni \t. Anniversary. 

Plans for Celebration 43 

The Invitations 44 

The Celebration. 

Opening Services 45 

The National Ceremonies 45 

The Monument 46 

ing the Corner-Stone ■ 4^ 

The Addresses 47 

The Oration 5 ' 

The Parade, the Review, and Salute 54 

An Englishman's View of the Celebration 55 

The Nation's Guests 5 6 



Lafayette and Steubi n 

Lafayette 57 

Von Steuben 



6o 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 

— • -•-• — 

PAGE 

V Portrait of General George Washington Frontispiece 

Portrait of Major-General the Marquis de Lafayette 10 

*V Portrait of Major-General Baron von Steuben 13 

^1 Portrait of Admiral the Count de Grasse 16 

V Portrait of Lieutenant-General the Count de Rochambeau 26 

Map of the Siege of Yorktown 34 

The Franklin Medal „ 38 

The Yorktown Monument 43 

Site of the Siege. Diagram of Celebration 47 



THE CAMPAIGN OF THE ALLIES 

THE SURRENDER OF LORD CHARLES CORNWALLIS 

WE have little conception of the difficulties that surrounded Wash- 
ington and his compatriots during the year and a half preceding 
the capture of Cormvallis. The resources of the country were 
well-nigh exhausted ; many had been drawn to the battle-field and there 
perished, and so great a number still remained in the army that the 
mechanical industries of the people were nearly ruined ; villages were 
more or less dilapidated, while innumerable farms were lying waste 
for the want of cultivation. The influence of the war overshadowed 
the whole land, blighting its progress, and interfering with the comfort 
and success of the people. The Continental money was next to worth- 
less, and that issued by the separate States was even of less value. Dis- 
trust of the ultimate success of the struggle discouraged many of the 
people, yet there was a gleam of sunshine in the hearts of the hopeful 
few ; their zeal never flagged, and their intelligence prompted them to 
make great personal sacrifices in the expectation of securing for their 
country liberty and independence for all future time. 

Another impediment to the success of the patriots was the multiti 1 
who sympathized with the royal cause, some no doubt from pure, 
some from sinister motives. Among- these disloyalists were many who 
were unwilling the Colonies should separate from England, which they 
characterized by the endearing name of " Home." They were proud of 
her glories in literature and arms, and claimed them as part of their own 
inheritance. Another class of the more unenlightened among the tories 
were often disloyal from an indefinable reverence for the persons of the 
royal family, and of their shadow, the aristocracy. These clung to the 
cause of the king for the reason they were unable to comprehend the 
vast importance to themselves and their children of being separated from 
England and untrammeled by her restrictions and influence as a sovereign, 



IO THE CAMPAIGN OF THE Al LIES 

The limited means of movement at thai time from one portion of the 
country t<> another cannot be fully appreciated by the people oi to-day, 
who have s<> many facilities for easy and rapid communication with 
each other. Sir Henry Clinton had his main army in New York City, 
in whose harbor was also a large and effective- British fleet; Corn- 
wallis had an army in Virginia three or four hundred miles distant, 
and other generals commanded troops stationed still further south 
in the Carolinas and Georgia; between these points were no places 
occupied by British troops. These armies were all accessible by sea 
from Sir Henry's headquarters in New York, while for the patriots the 
only way was by land — a route long and tedious, with bad roads to be 
passed over on horseback, on foot or by means of cumbersome wagons. 
The advantage on the part of the British to transport soldiers and mili- 
tary stores, was in comparison almost incalculable; in addition they 
were supplied with the most approved war material of the time, while 
the army of the patriots was as indifferently accoutered as their oppo- 
nents were well armed and drilled. The war vessels of the United 
States consisted of only two frigates ; the others had been either cap- 
tured or destroyed. 

Arrangements of the Patriot Troops — In the winter of 1780-81, 
and spring of the latter year, the troops under Washington were 
camped so as to threaten New York City, while to repel a movement 
from Canada, should one be made, a portion of the State forces were 
stationed at Albany. At West Point and along the Hudson in the High- 
lands, were troops from New England ; at Pompton, New Jersey, were 
the soldiers belonging to that State, and at Morristown was a poijjtion of 
the Pennsylvania contingent. The French army, for the most part, was 
wintering at Newport, Rhode Island, while one legion, that of the Duke 
de Lauzun, was at Lebanon, Connecticut. Washington had his head- 
quarters in a central position, at Windsor on the Hudson. In different 
parts of the South were stationed American soldiers — militia and Con- 
tinentals—under Lafayette, Gen. Greene and the Baron Steuben. 

The disposition of troops in the northern division was owing to the 
fact that the main portion of the British army was located on Staten 
Island, and in New York on Manhattan Island; in the harbor was moored 
their fleet— the right arm of their power. Yet they were confined closely 
to the city, not daring even to make foraging raids very far into the 
country, because they were liable to be roughly handled by the patriots, 
who were on the lookout, and their arrangements were such that almost 




Major-Gen. Marquis dk Lafayette. 



THE CAMPAIGN OF THE ALLIES II 

on the appearance of the marauders, the whole country was immediately 
roused to repel them. Philadelphia, at that time, had the larger popula- 
lation, but not being so accessible from the ocean as New York, the 
British commander had his main army in the latter city, in whose harbor 
he could have his fleet for the purpose of defence, and in readiness to 
send aid wherever needed. 

Affairs in the Carolinas — When Cornwallis captured Charleston, 
the capital of the Colony of South Carolina (May 12, 1780), he imagined 
he had subdued the whole region. Thinking, perhaps, capital cities in 
the Colonies bore the same relation to the surrounding country that they 
did in Europe, we may judge his surprise when the numerous patriots 
under Sumter, Marion and others were continually harrassing his 
foraging parties whenever they ventured out from his main army. 
There was, it was true, the quiet of a conquered land, but of one in 
which the people were waiting only for a favorable opportunity to fly to 
arms. Since the disastrous defeat of Gates at Camden (August 16, 1780), 
Cornwallis had better reason to suppose the conflict in that section vir- 
tually ended, but in a few months Gen. Nathanael Greene appeared as 
Commander of the American forces ; by his indefatigable exertions, and 
skillful handling of his men, he kept his lordship busy in warding off 
attacks, especially in unexpected quarters. 

In the South the state of affairs was sad indeed ; Whigs and Tories 
were unrelenting foes ; they ravaged in turn the whole region, destroying 
private property and burning the houses of each other. There is no 
sadder picture of the horrors of the Revolutionary struggle than the 
fiendish animosity toward each other that seemed to pervade the souls 
of the Whigs and Tories of these States. Why it was is hard to define. 
Under such repeated pillagings and raids, that whole section became 
almost a desolation. The three States of North Carolina, South Caro- 
lina and Georgia, were in the ordinary sense subdued, as their most 
important points were occupied by the British. 

Early in the year (January, 1781) was fought the battle of Cowpens, 
in which Gen. Daniel Morgan defeated Col. Banastie Tarleton, the noted 
British cavalry officer. Then commenced the pursuit of Morgan by 
Cornwallis with a superior and well equipped army ; but after a forced 
march of two hundred miles^ the latter found himself completely baffled 
and forced to fall back, to be in turn closely followed by Gen. Greene, 
now in command. At length a conflict took place near Guilford Court 
House, N. C, from which place Greene fell back, after crippling his 



12 THE CAMPAIGN OF THE AI I 

adversary so much that really the gain was on his own side; while Corn- 
wallis marc lied northward, Leaving the Carolinas to the care of Lord 
Rawdon. Aboul a month later (April 25), was fought the battle of Hob- 
kirk's 1 1 ill, S. C. — a drawn battle, but the advantage, if any, was on the 
side of the Americans. Soon after several fortified places fell into 
the hands of the patriots, and Lord Rawdon retired to within a 
short distance of Charleston. Both armies remained inactive during 
the hot weather, except the skirmishing of foraging parties, till the battle 
of Eutaw Springs (Sept. 8, 17S1), which in the main resulted favorably 
to the Americans, though in none of these engagements were they 
equal to their enemies, either in numbers of regular soldiers or equip- 
ments. In these various conflicts, and in the movements connected 
with them, Greene displayed remarkable skill in deceiving his enemies, 
and in striking where he was least expected. 

The March of Cornwallis toward Virginia — After the battle 
of Guilford Court House, the army of Cornwallis was so much reduced 
in number that he resolved to fall back by way of Wilmington, N. C, 
toward the North. He tarried in the vicinity of the former place some- 
time, to refresh his troops and await reinforcements, intending as soon 
as prepared to return southward to aid the royal cause in South Caro- 
lina. Meantime he learned that Greene, who had been cautiously fol- 
lowing him, attacking his foraging parties and cutting off his messen- 
gers, had suddenly turned, and was far on his way toward Camden, S. C, 
where Lord Rawdon was in command. It was useless to attempt to 
overtake Greene or to make an effort to aid Rawdon; the risk was 
too great, for if he went in that direction he might be hemmed in by 
the patriots and distressed for provisions, as that whole region had 
been swept over more than once by the opposing forces. His army 
had been on the move for the greater part of a year, having, it was 
estimated, marched and countermarched more than a thousand miles, 
through a country in the main bitterly hostile, the roads being few 
and very difficult to travel. These considerations induced him to 
move northward from Wilmington to join Gen. Phillips by appoint- 
ment at Petersburg, Virginia. He commenced his march about the 1st 
of May, the distance being more than two hundred miles. Phillips 
had superseded the traitor Benedict Arnold, about one month before 
(March 26, 1781), in the command in Virginia. 

Previous to this time, Arnold had been marauding for some months 
in that region, though closely watched, and sometimes attacked, by 




Majok-Gen. Baron von Steuben. 



THE CAMPAIGN OF THE ALLIES 1 3 

Baron Steuben ; he was not prevented, however, from effectually pillag- 
ing the country along the James and the lower portion of its tributaries, 
but did not dare to venture far from navigable waters. On one occasion 
he appeared before Richmond and offered to spare the place if permitted 
to carry off the tobacco in store ; this was refused by the Governor, 
Thomas Jefferson, and he burned a portion of the village. This part of 
the State was specially defenceless, as the slaves were numerous and 
the planters few in comparison. Baron Steuben was in general com- 
mand in Virginia; he had, however, a small force of only five or six 
hundred militia, having sent all the men he could spare to aid Gen. 
Greene in the Carolinas. 

There had been a plan laid to capture Arnold, and Washington in 
the early spring sent Lafayette with troops and artillery to aid in the 
enterprise. The French also sent, under the command of De Tilly, a 
sixty-gun ship and two frigates to surprise the British vessels in the 
Chesapeake, but Arnold learned of the expedition, and withdrawing his 
shipping up the Elizabeth river into shallow water, the French had to 
content themselves in lying off in their large ships, while those of the 
enemy were safely anchored twelve miles distant. Soon after, another 
French naval force was sent from Newport to cooperate with that in the 
Bay, and with the army expected under Lafayette, but they were pur- 
sued by the British fleet. These fleets met off the Capes, and after a short 
conflict, without definite result, they parted. The French were so dis- 
abled that they returned to Newport, and the English entered Chesa- 
peake Bay. This was the fourth time the French fleet had failed to co- 
operate effectually with the American land forces. Arnold was now 
reinforced by two thousand troops under Gen. Phillips, who, as has 
been stated, assumed command. 

We may imagine the disappointment of Lafayette and his wearied 
soldiers, who had reached Annapolis, when they learned that the fleet 
reported at anchor in the Roads was the British and not the French, as 
they had reason to suppose. The object of the expedition was defeated. 
After some delay, caused by the blockade of the port- by the British 
vessels, the troops were withdrawn to the Head of Elk, and marched 
early in April to Baltimore, where Lafayette refitted his men. Marching 
them southward, he joined Steuben in Virginia, and took command of 
the forces there. 

British Raids and Outrages — When Cornwallis joined his forces 
■with those in Virginia and assumed command, he resolved to crush 



14 I HE CAMPAIGN OF THE AJ LIES 

Lafayette before he should receive the reinforcements said to be on their 
march from the North, under the command of Gen. Anthony Wayne. 
He was so confident of success that, in writing to Sir Henry Clinton, 
he represented himself as having the- Martinis within his grasp ; in con- 
sequence the latter, in a dispatch to the home government, said: 
"Lafayette, I think, cannot escape him." Winn Cornwallis moved 
from Petersburg to unite with the fresh troops sent from New York 
under Gen. Leslie, Lafayette was at Richmond, but having an inferior 
force, he retreated towards the north to meet Wayne, who was 
approaching- with a portion of the Pennsylvania line. Cornwallis 
crossed the James below Richmond, and moved rapidly in pursuit, but 
finding it impossible to prevent their junction, he fell back toward the 
lower James. 

There has been in the American mind a peculiar odium attached to 
the traitor Arnold, because of his committing so many outrages in Vir- 
ginia. As much disgrace should attach to the name of Cornwallis for 
the ravages committed by his immediate command. His cavalry 
speedily scoured the country, and seized all the horses they could reach ; 
these were considered at the time to be the finest in the colonies. 
Gen. Greene, when passing through Virginia on his way to the Caro- 
linas, urged the planters to remove these fine animals into the interior, 
lest they should be captured to replenish the British cavalry. The 
advice" was disregarded, and ere long about six hundred of Tarleton's 
men were mounted on horses, great numbers of which had been 
trained for the races, common in that State. Oftentimes the marauders 
wantonly cut the throats of colts that were too young to be of service 
for cavalry. Outrages of this character were not perpetrated elsewhere 
during the war. Tarleton ravaged the country, destroying stores of 
provisions and crops; he attempted by a bold dash to capture the mem- 
bers of the Legislature, then in session at Charlottesville, and came near 
making a prisoner of the Governor himself, Thomas Jefferson, in his 
home at Monticello. For some reason he would not permit the 
premises at Monticello to be injured ; yet, " under the eye of Corn- 
wallis," another farm of Jefferson was thoroughly plundered, the 
growing crops destroyed, the horses carried off, and the throats of the 
colts cut, while the barns and fences were burned. 

Indecisive Conflicts — Lafayette and Wayne, having united their 
forces, immediately moved, and by a rapid night march presented them- 
selves in front of Cornwallis and, being joined by large numbers of the 



THE CAMPAIGN OF THE ALLIES I 5 

militia, their force made so formidable show that the British general 
thought it prudent to fall back to Richmond, and finally down to Wil- 
liamsburg (June 25). Lafayette was now joined by Steuben, and his 
entire army amounted to about 4,000 men, one-half of whom were reg- 
ulars or Continentals. He sent detachments that interfered materially 
with the foraging parties of the British army, meanwhile advancing 
with his main force toward Williamsburg. 

About this time Sir Henry Clinton became much alarmed at the 
demonstrations making against New York. He expected to be attacked 
by twenty thousand men, and believed that De Grasse,* when he learned 
that Cornwallis was out of reach, would sail to New York to assist 
in an attempt on that city. This theory seems to have made him 
afterward unable to give due weight to evidence coming to his knowl- 
edge respecting the movement of Washington toward Virginia. He 
now sent an urgent demand to Cornwallis for reinforcements. 

To comply with this requisition, Cornwallis moved all his force 
toward Portsmouth in order to embark the troops. Lafayette cautiously 
followed, intending, if opportunity served, to attack the rear-guard of 
the British army when the main portion had crossed the river, but 
the wary Cornwallis, suspecting the design, laid plans to deceive 
his pursuer. Accordingly on the 6th July he sent over his pack-horses 
and wagons to an island in the James, and of these he made a great 
display. Meanwhile Tarleton deputed a dragoon — who pretended to 
be a deserter — and a negro, to throw themselves in the way of the 
Americans, and announce to them that the main portion of the army 
had passed over, and only the rear-guard was waiting to cross. The 
story seemed plausible, and Wayne was sent to make the attack ; he 
was to be supported by the main body. Wayne, moving rapidly for- 
ward, apparently surprised a picket, which, in accordance with orders, 
after a resistance lasting only a few minutes, retreated. Thus encour- 
aged, Wayne dashed on, when presently he found himself confronted 
with what seemed the whole British army. In a moment he divined 
the stratagem by which he had been deceived ; his fearless spirit sug- 
gested his course. He at once sounded a charge, and his Pennsyl- 
vanians, nine hundred strong, and three cannon in full play, with 
shouts of victory, dashed against the enemy. This vigorous attack 
continued for a few minutes, when, at his command, the men as speedily 
fell back, losing, however, their cannon, the horses which drew them 
being killed.. Cornwallis was in turn bewildered ; the sudden and 

* Commanding a French fleet in the West Indies. 



l6 THE CAMPAIGN OF THE ALLIES 

vigorous assault, as well as the rapidity with which the Americans 
retreated, disconcerted him. He refused, as it was growing dark, to 
permit his nun to pursue, lest they should fall into an ambuscade. The 

following day he passed over the river and proceeded to Portsmouth; 
but, when in the act of sending a detachment on board the ships, he 
received another message from Clinton, informing him that he had been 
reinforced by three thousand Hessians from Europe, and he should not 
need more troops. 

According to Stedman, Sir Henry Clinton at first favorably enter- 
tained the idea of Cornwallis, when he had joined Phillips, making a 
raid north, along the Chesapeake and up the valley of the Susquehannah. 
He was led to think of such an expedition by the representations of 
Tories, who assured him if a British army would make its appearance 
in that region, there would be an uprising of the loyalists. Cornwallis 
was not so sanguine ; he had little faith in promised uprisings of these 
gentlemen, and in consequence he was opposed to the whole scheme. 
Perhaps he also called to mind his experience in being harrassed when 
marching through the thinly settled Carolinas, and reflected that on the 
shores of the Chesapeake and up the Susquehannah the population was 
much more numerous. He would only enter upon the movement when 
ordered ; and he intimated his willingness to return to Charleston and 
take command there. 

Sir Henry Clinton also took occasion to inform Cornwallis of the 
rumors afloat that the Count de Grasse intended to visit the American 
coast in order to co-operate with the allied forces. Sir Charles Rod- 
ney, who was on the West India station with a British squadron, gave 
it as his opinion that De Grasse would go to the Chesapeake. This 
information seemed to allay the fears of Clinton, as a French fleet in the 
bay could not injure the forces under Cornwallis. It appears never to 
have occurred to him that possibly Washington, by forced marches, 
might lead his army from the Hudson to the Chesapeake, nor did he 
avail himself of the suggestion of Rodney, to send a fleet to counteract 
the plans of the Count. Cornwallis on his part felt equally safe, as he 
wrote to Sir Henry Clinton he could spare him twelve hundred men 
to aid in defending New York. 

The home government and Clinton were both unwilling to abandon 
the control of Chesapeake Bay and Virginia ; hence an order was sent 
to Cornwallis to select some place accessible from the sea, and there 
fortify himself. This order came with the message countermanding 
the previous one to send a reinforcement of troops to New York. To 




Admiral Comte de Grasse. 



THE CAMPAIGN OF THE ALLIES 1 7 

comply with this command, on the 26th July, 1781, Cornwallis chose 
Yorktown and Gloucester Point. These are on opposite sides of York 
river, which here narrows to about one mile in width, and are accessible 
from the bay, which is about fifteen miles distant. His army now 
amounted to nearly eight thousand effective men. He began to throw 
up strong entrenchments, while a number of ships of war were moored 
in the river. 

The French Fleet, and Delays — It was long evident to Wash- 
ington and Congress that if success was to be obtained, the superiority 
of the British naval force must be overcome. This could be done 
only by inducing the French government to send a sufficiently large 
number of men-of-war to the American coast. Hitherto it had seemed 
fated that the French fleet should fail to cooperate with the Ameri- 
can land forces. Congress some time before had commissioned John 
Laurens of South Carolina, one of Washington's Aids, to France for 
the special purpose of inducing that government to send a strong 
fleet and a large number of troops to the United States. Laurens 
was remarkable for his pleasing manners no less than for his diplo- 
matic ability ; he succeeded in obtaining the promise of a large fleet 
and a body of troops, and also a loan of money, which amounted to 
more than a million' dollars. In accordance with this promise, 
Count de Grasse sailed (March, 1781) from Brest with twenty-five 
sail of the line, on board of which were several thousand troops — 
the greater portion of the latter, however, were designed for the West 
Indies. 

While the operations already referred to were going on in the south- 
ern section of the country, nothing special was done in the northern 
except to watch the enemy's forces in New York, and make prepara- 
tions to capture the city. To obtain that result was utterly impossible 
without a sufficient naval force to overcome that of the British in the 
harbor, and for this assistance Washington was waiting till it could be 
sent by France, and also for the States, severally, to furnish more sol- 
diers and supplies. 

Insubordination — On the first day of this eventful year (1781) a 
revolt of an alarming character had broken out among the Pennsylvania 
troops at Morristown, New Jersey. Their sufferings were great, and 
what they deemed the indifference of Congress to their wants roused 
their indignation, and led them to leave their camp and march in an 



18 THE CAMPAIGN OF THE ALLI1 S 

orderlv manner direct to the doors of thai body, then in session at 
Philadelphia, and demand redress in person. These men, though guilty 
of military insubordination, were every one of them true to their coun- 
try's cause, but were for the time exercising - , in this irregular way, their 
rights as freemen to ask a redress of grievances. Says Gen. Wayne, 
their commander, " they were poorly clothed, badly fed, and worse paid ; 
exposed to winter's piercing cold, with no protection but old worn-out 
coats, and but one blanket between three men." They received relief 
for the present, and marched back to their camp, after delivering up to 
their officers the emissaries of the British commander, who had sent 
them to seduce the mutineers from their duties as patriot soldiers.^ In 
less than a month afterward, influenced by the success of the Pennsyl- 
vanians, the same spirit was manifested among the Jersey troops sta- 
tioned at Pompton ; they, too, for the same reason, mutinied. Now 
there was danger lest insubordination should spread throughout the 
army, and the latter rebellion was put down with some severity. Yet 
there was evidently great dissatisfaction in the army;, the soldiers 
were intelligent and understood for what purpose they were in arms, and 
they had received the impression that Congress wasted much precious 
time in wrangling over questions of minor importance, while some of 
the States had apparently grown indifferent, and failed to furnish sup- 
plies in food and clothing. The soldiers no doubt compared their 
hard lot with the comfort enjoyed by other able-bodied men at their 
well furnished homes. We must bear in mind, however, that Congress 
had not full power to enforce its own decrees, which took more the 
form of urgent advisory resolutions than of laws to be obeyed ; the 
weariness incident to a seven years' war : the utter prostration of com- 
merce and industry, except to provide the necessaries of life, had almost 
paralyzed the energies of the people. It was only the hopeful, the 
intelligent, the persevering, that bore up — meanwhile encouraging their 
desponding neighbors — and performed as best they could their own 
duty, to supply the wants of the soldiers. With this state of feeling in 
the army, we may imagine what would have been the ultimate issue had 
it not been for the cheering prospect of help from France, both in fleet 
and land forces, during this long and trying winter. 

The Positions of Armies — During the spring and summer of 1781 
the British army held two important positions. The capture of either 
would have a decisive effect upon the contest. One was New York, 
in which was their main force, and from which reinforcements of men, 



THE CAMPAIGN OF THE ALLIES 1 9 

ships and war material were sent as required to other points, especially 
to sustain operations in the South ; the other position was that held by 
the army of Cornwallis in Virginia, where rumor said it was preparing 
to winter. It was possible, under favorable circumstances, to capture 
either of these before aid could come from the other. 

It was thought best to make an attempt on New York, as the French 
army, which had been for nearly eleven months at Newport, was ready 
to move in aid of the enterprise. Preparatory to making the attack, the 
available roads leading to the city were repaired and new ones cut, while 
its fortifications were carefully reconnoitered. Washington's head- 
quarters were at Windsor, a few miles from West Point; his entire 
force did not amount to five thousand effective men, though he had 
nominally nearly seven thousand. Owing to the defects of the militia 
system then in force, the army had not been increased to the full num- 
ber authorized by Congress, which had resolved to have thirty-seven 
thousand men under arms at the beginning of the year. But the reso- 
lutions of Congress or of the State Legislatures were of little avail in 
rousing the exhausted country. British marauding parties in force were 
continually pillaging the country for miles around the city ; they called 
it foraging. The most effective of these depredators was a band of 
Tories under Col. Delancy, whose place of rendezvous and stronghold 
was in the vicinity of Morrisania, Westchester county. Up the country 
from that place to near Washington's lines, these marauders made the 
whole region almost a desolation, driving from the farms the live 
stock, and carrying off the grain when harvested. These worthies 
were characterized Cow Boys by the inhabitants, because of their 
aptness in seizing the patriots' cattle. 

Campaign Plans — In February word had been brought Washing- 
ton that the Count de Barras had arrived at Boston to take command 
of the naval force of the French then at Newport, Rhode Island. De 
Barras also brought the news that the Count de Grasse was soon to 
sail with a large armament to the West Indies ; but twelve of his ships 
were to come to Newport, in order to relieve the French squadron 
stationed there, and that these ships were to bring an additional number 
of land forces. This reinforcement was expected to arrive in July or 
August. 

Count de Rochambeau received fresh instructions from his own gov- 
ernment, and arrangements were made for an interview between Wash- 
ington and the Count, at Weathersfield, Connecticut, on the 22d May, 



20 THE CAMPAIGN OF THE ALLIES 

1781. M.mv plans were discussed; among others to send a land force to 
aid ( rreene in the Carol inas. These troops would be compelled to march 
the entire distance, as the French squadron, which might have carried 
them, was closely blockaded in Newport harbor by a superior British 
The main objections to this plan were the long march, the diffi- 
culties of transporting war material, and the season of the year being 
summer, the heat of which in that climate was dreaded so much as to 
become an obstruction almost insuperable. 

It was therefore thought best to strike a blow at New York. The 
time seemed propitious, as, owing to the large detachments which had 
from time to time been sent to the South, the garrison was compara- 
tively weak. To capture this stronghold, with its immense amount of 
war material, appeared to Washington and the patriots as most import- 
ant. Here was the British fleet, which had absolute control of the 
harbor and all the waters accessible to it; its position was central. If 
once taken, the outposts in the South would succumb, and the struggle, 
it was thought, must virtually end. Accordingly, to carry out this 
enterprise, arrangements were made at the council, and soon the 
French troops were on their march from their quarters at Newport, 
delighted to be relieved from the irksome monotony they had experi- 
enced during the preceding eleven months, and with the hope of seeing 
active service. Their march through the country was enlivened by the 
manifestations of welcome made by the inhabitants, who cheered them 
as friends. 

In order to make the capture certain, Washington wrote to the Gov- 
ernors of the New England States and New Jersey, calling upon them to 
render assistance by rilling up their quotas of men. With all these exer- 
tions the American army was not materially increased, and his let- 
ters written at the time show the mortification caused him by this 
deficiency. The only apology was the utter prostration of the country, 
both in respect to its finances and the fewness of the men found 
to enter the army. The Legislatures passed energetic resolutions, and 
so did Congress, but neither had the power to enforce them. Mean- 
while Rochambeau dispatched a vessel to inform De Grasse of the plan 
of operations, and urge his cooperation. 

Robert Morris, the American Financier — The efforts of one 
patriot must here be mentioned. Robert Morris was a successful 
merchant of Philadelphia, and one of the signers of the Declaration of 
Independence. He grasped the idea of furnishing the "sinews of war,' 



THE CAMPAIGN OF THE ALLIES 21 

by conducting the money matters of the government on a specie basis 
(1780). Heretofore the management of the finances had been entrusted 
to a committee of Congress, no two of whom seemed to have had the 
same views on the subject. One man of true education knows more than 
a multitude of the ignorant ; and one common sense and thorough prac- 
tical financier knows more than a regiment of theorists. Morris urged 
Congress to establish a bank as an agent to transact the finances of the 
government. The Bank of North America — our First National bank — 
was chartered for ten years, with a capital of $2,000,000. The fact that 
it was pledged to redeem its notes in coin, inspired confidence in its suc- 
cess. The public at once looked favorably upon the scheme, and those 
who had the means invested in the bank, both as a profitable investment 
and as a patriotic duty. The credit of Congress began at once to revive, 
and finally attained a point never reached before. By this means Morris 
was enabled to pay the soldiers to a certain amount, and furnish supplies 
for the army. He accomplished this by sending as agents discreet men 
to secure in the way of business, all the coin they could obtain, thus keep- 
ing his vaults replenished, and when notes were presented they were 
promptly redeemed. The result was that soon the notes of the bank were 
received for all demands, and the Continental money passed out of use. 
Morris was now of immense service in furnishing provisions for the army 
on the Hudson. 

Demonstrations Against the City of New York — Now began a 
series of reconnoiterings in the vicinity of the city. New roads were 
cut through the woods and others repaired. It was known that a large 
force of the British was absent foraging in New Jersey, and the oppor- 
tunity was seized to make a sudden and vigorous attack upon New York 
during their absence, and meanwhile fall on Delancy's Tories who were 
stationed at Morrisania. The latter attack was to be made by the French, 
who were to march from Ridgebury, Connecticut, and Washington him- 
self was to throw his troops between the routed Tories and the upper 
end of Manhattan Island, then to pass Harlem River, capture the posts 
or stations near at hand, and work his way down some miles to the north 
side of the cit}\ But soon after the movement began it was ascertained the 
British force had returned from Jersey, and their boats were in the Hud- 
son. To surprise the forts was now out of the question, yet the expedi- 
tion was successful in meeting and attacking a large foraging party of 
fifteen hundred Tories and others which had set out the same morning 
to ravage the lower end of Westchester county. The latter made haste 



22 THE CAMPAIGN OF THE ALLIES 

to abandon their stronghold and retire over Harlem River to the island, 
where they reported that they had been attacked by a large force. 

THE Ai i nn ARMIES — To secure unitv of action, Congress had con- 
ferred full and perfect authority upon Washington in the northern and 
southern departments, and France, for the same reason, had also placed 
her troops under his command. The two armies were now encamped — 
at Dobbs Ferry and on the Greenbcrg Hills — within striking (list am 
New York, and were waiting for a French fleet to cooperate. Recruits 
were coming in slowly, notwithstanding the urgency of the occasii >n, yet 
there was no relaxation in reconnoitering and making preparations for 
the grand attack. Count de Rochambeau sent a swift-sailing vessel to 
inform De Grasse, who was in the West Indies or on his way thither, of 
the intended effort to capture the city, and to urge his cooperation with 
his fleet. Meanwhile (Aug. 14) there came a French frigate from him to 
Newport, bearing dispatches, saying that he would sail on the 3d August 
with a fleet of some twenty-five or thirty war vessels, having on board a 
land force — not to New York, but to the Chesapeake. This announce- 
ment necessarily changed the whole programme; the disappointment 
was very great to Washington and his officers. 

The Overruling Hand — We at this day can see, in the influences 
that led to this disappointment, the hand of an overruling Providence, 
which Washington and the Christian patriots of that day so much 
delighted to recognize. It is very doubtful if the combined forces could 
have captured New York at all. The situation was such that only on 
the north end of Manhattan Island could it be assailed by land forces, 
and if a landing were made at this point, the city was still several miles 
distant, every foot of which was capable of being defended, if not suc- 
cessfully, at least sufficiently to cause a great loss of life to the assailants. 
The Hudson could be patrolled by the British men-of-war, whose cannon 
shot could easily sink the transports used in conveying troops across 
below the Harlem River. The British had also control of the harbor, 
and with the aid of the forts around its shores and on its islands, could 
have repelled the French fleet if it attempted an entrance ; but only the 
smaller vessels could come in, the pilots giving it as their opinion 
that the large men-of-war belonging to the French could not cross the 
bar at Sandy Hook. In addition to this, both the British fleet and the 
garrison had in the latter part of June been strongly reinforced. The 
sacrifice of life on the part of the combined army would certainly have 



THE CAMPAIGN OF THE ALLIES 23 

been very great, and even if successful, much more than in the capture 
of Cornwallis, while virtually the result in either case would have been 
the same ; the crippling of the British force in the Colonies to such an 
extent as to lead ultimately to the acknowledgment of the independence 
of the United States. Moreover, British military affairs had arrived at 
such a crisis, that the capture of either New York in the North, or of Corn- 
wallis in the South, would have brought about the end of the contest. 
The English people were becoming inclined to give up the conflict, as 
they became more conversant with the true state of the case. We can 
now see how merciful to the Americans was the non-appearance of Count 
de Grasse at New York with his fleet, for had he come the effort to take 
the city would certainly have been made. 

Changed Plan of Campaign of the Allies — The announcement 
that De Grasse was about to sail for the Chesapeake led at once to the 
change of plans ; there was no alternative. The attack must be made on 
Cornwallis, and the army must march nearly four hundred miles to accom- 
plish it. To secure success it must be far on-its way before Sir Henry 
Clinton could discover or suspect the object of the march, and to " mis- 
guide and bewilder " him, reconnoissances were ostentatiously made on 
the north of the city towards Kingsbridge, and on the opposite west 
side of the Hudson, as if an attempt was to be made to throw a force 
across that river. The British no doubt learned from spies of the boats 
built at Albany and originally designed for this purpose. 

These continued demonstrations convinced Sir Henry that an assault 
was imminent, and when the plan to move against Cornwallis was con- 
ceived and the necessary arrangements were making, he would not credit 
the surmises of the British officers stationed nearer the American lines, 
who began to suspect that a movement was about to be made other than 
upon New York. These officers communicated their suspicions to Clin- 
ton, but he seemed to be thoroughly impressed that the apparent change 
of programme on the part of the patriots was purposely designed to mis- 
lead him. One of the most earnest of these officers in persisting that the 
prospective movement would be against Cornwallis and not New York, 
was Von Wurmb, a Hessian officer, stationed at Kingsbridge. But Sir 
Henry was stubbornly predisposed to believe all indications that seemed 
to foreshadow an attack upon his own position. After it was decided to 
march to Virginia, letters were written at Washington's headquarters, as 
if in relation to an impending attack upon the city. These letters were 



-4 THE CAMPAIGN OF THE ALLIE6 

purposely sent in such manner as to insure their interception, and when 
brought to Sir Henry they confirmed him more than ever that he- was 

to be attacked wit limit delay. Nor did this system of misleading end 
heir ; in addition, a space was marked out for a camp, as if for a large 
army in New Jersey opposite Staten Island, and numerous ovens were 
built and fuel provided for baking bread in immense quantities, while 
numbers of row-boats were prepared and kept in sight as if to ferry 
troops across the narrow channel to the island. Spies and Tories were 
unmolested in conveying to the British headquarters accounts of these 
preparations. 

The wisdom of exercising great caution can be seen in the manifold 
difficulties in the way of this long march in the heat of summer from the 
Hudson River to the York. These adverse contingencies were all taken 
into consideration by the Commander-in-chief, and in no instance during 
the war did he display more sagacity than in the plan and execution of 
this movement, and in his complete outgeneraling of Sir Henry Clinton. 
The passage in ships from New York to the lower Chesapeake could be 
completed in a few days, while it took almost as many weeks for an 
army to reach there by land. If Sir Henry, who was proverbial for his 
tardiness, had been prompt, he might have interfered seriously with the 
expedition, even after he was assured that the movement was against 
Cornwallis. He could have sent a large number of ships of war, and 
of men, and perhaps been able to land strong reinforcements at an avail- 
able position. Keeping the secret so carefully required the greatest 
caution ; only one or two of the officers of the higher rank knew the des- 
tination of the allied armies, much less the ordinary soldiers. The armies 
commenced their march on the 19th of August, and in little more than 
a month they came in sight of the British works at Yorktown. 

The March of the Allies — The movement covered by a final 
demonstration against New York, the armies, in two divisions, set out on 
their march toward Yorktown. Not a soldier was aware of their desti- 
nation. When the American division was first put in motion as if to 
march toward Kingsbridge over the Harlem River, they were un- 
expectedly ordered to face about and move north along the east side of 
the Hudson ; the following day they began to cross the river at King's 
Ferry. Meanwhile the French army was moving from the vicinity of 
White Plains toward the same river, heartily cheered by the grateful 
people along their route ; two days later they crossed at Stony Point, 
both armies having with them their artillery and military stores. 



THE CAMPAIGN OF THE ALLIES 



*3 



Major-Gen. Heath was placed in command of the army left to watch 
the enemy in New York, to guard the Highland passes, and as far as 
possible to protect the surrounding country from marauders. The two 
armies marched across the Jerseys (East and West as then known); the 
French toward Trenton on the Delaware, and the Americans in the 
same general direction. " To facilitate the rapidity of the march, wagons 
in great numbers were obtained from the farmers along the two routes, 
to carry the heavy arms and knapsacks of the soldiers. Both armies 
had reached the Delaware before Sir Henry became aware that a 
march had been stolen upon him; to what extent he was still uncertain. 

When the Americans found themselves at Philadelphia, they sus- 
pected their destination to be Virginia, and demurred to marching 
south under the broiling sun. They were also dissatisfied with the lack 
of pay, as the want of money debarred them from purchasing many com- 
forts, to do which they had now an opportunity. Providentially John 
Laurens had arrived a month before from France, bringing with him a 
large supply of clothing, of arms and munitions, and what was specially 
needed, about half a million dollars. Robert Morris was at hand, and 
with a portion of the money brought by Laurens, the amount raised by 
himself, and twenty thousand dollars borrowed from De Rochambeau, 
he was enabled to pay the soldiers a portion of the money due them, 
and they promptly moved on in the line of duty. 

The incidents on this hurried march were few. The American 
division was the first to pass through Philadelphia, amid the cheers and 
blessings of the better portion of the inhabitants, who appreciated the 
labors, the privations, the dangers to which these patriotic men were 
exposed. In their appearance the two armies were in striking contrast; 
the one wore coats having little uniformity of style, and showing the 
effects of hard usage in being somewhat shabby. They were preceded 
by the music only of the fife and drum, so common/ On the following 
day came the French, who had halted outside the city to burnish their 
arms and carefully brush the dust off their beautiful uniforms of white 
broadcloth with colored facings; they were preceded by a complete 
band of music of many instruments, a novelty to the majority of the 
spectators. They were admired for their orderly bearing and neat 
appearance, and they too were warmly received and cheered as friends 
and allies. 



British Attempts at a Diversion — The combined armies were 
beyond the Delaware (Sept. 2d) before Sir Henry Clinton began 



26 THE CAMPAIGN OF IMF. ALLIES 

scriouslv in suspect their destination. He had heard oi movements in 
the Jerseys, but not sufficiently definite, as he thought, to act upon; at 

first he took for granted they were a mere ruse designed to draw him 
from the city into the open country, where the superior numbers of the 
Amerii an and French forces might be made available. The reports of 

their rapid march, entirely across the Jerseys, he still hesitated to credit. 
Evidently in accordance with this theory, he hastened to create a diver- 
sion, which would compel a portion of the armies to be sent back for 
the purpose of defending places in the vicinity of New York. He first 
caused a rumor to be circulated that he intended to make an assault on 
the posts in the Highlands; of course this was to divert the attention 
of Gen. Heath, who was in command- in that region, lest he should send 
assistance to those whom Clinton really designed to attack ; then Arnold 
was sent to ravage a portion of Connecticut. The latter, in order to 
avoid Heath, passed up on the south side of the Sound, and crossing 
over from Long Island suddenly appeared before New London, the 
fortifications of which were very imperfect, and after a heroic defence, 
the main work, FortGriswold, was taken, the town plundered, and many 
outrages committed. At the fort fell Col. Ledyard, the cousin of the 
celebrated American traveler, after he had surrendered his sword, which 
was immediately plunged into his own breast. This was on the 6th Sep- 
tember, and Clinton learned definitely on the ioth that Washington had 
crossed the Delaware. If he really believed at the time of his sending 
Arnold, that the allied armies were on their march to Yorktown, he 
never committed a greater blunder than to suppose detachments would 
be sent back nearly two hundred miles to prevent a raid, which would 
be ended and the marauders out of harm's way long before the force 
thus sent could reach the scene of action. It is evident that when 
Clinton sent Arnold, he thought the movements in Jersey a ruse ; in 
this whole matter he seems to have been unaccountably deaf to 
reason. 

Gen. Washington and Count de Rochambeau hurried on in advance 
of the army, and arrived at Williamsburg on the 14th September, and a 
few days later held a council with De Grasse on board of his ship, the 
Ville de Paris, when arrangements were made to prosecute the siege of 
Yorktown. Meanwhile the combined armies moved on till they arrived 
at the Head of Elk river, now Elkton, about eighteen miles from the 
bay (Sept. 6th). Here were found about eighty vessels of various 
grades sent by Lafayette and De Grasse to transport the soldiers and 
their war material to Virginia, while the horses were sent round by 




Lieut. -Gen. Comte de Rochambeau. 



THE CAMPAIGN OF THE ALLIES 2/ 

land. The transports arrived at the harbor of Jamestown on the 22d. 
A part of the forces were marched by land to Annapolis, where vessels 
were in waiting to take them down the Chesapeake. 

Cornwallis IN THE Toils — Cornwallis was entirely ignorant of the 
toils that were quietly weaving around him ; closing in from the South, 
from the North, and from the ocean. His surprise may be imagined 
when suddenly a powerful fleet of French men-of-war appeared 
in the roads, and when he learned that Lafayette and Steuben were pre- 
pared to cut off his retreat to the Carolinas, while an effective army, 
composed of Americans and French, were on their way floating down 
the Chesapeake. Though realizing that the plans concerted for his 
capture were about to be successful, as became a brave commander 
thrown upon his own resources, he began the more vigorously to fortify 
his position with the determination to resist to the utmost. Sometime 
before he had been so confident of maintaining himself, that he wrote 
Clinton he could spare him twelve hundred men to aid in defending 
New York. 

The French fleet under Count de Barras sailed (Aug. 28) from New- 
port for the Chesapeake to unite with that under De Grasse ; the 
latter expected De Barras and was on the lookout for him, but when 
Clinton learned that this squadron was to sail from Newport, he divined 
its destination was the Chesapeake, perhaps to join another fleet from 
the West Indies, of which rumors had reached him. He immediately 
dispatched Admiral Graves with a naval force to intercept De Barras, 
Graves was surprised to find De Grasse already anchored within the 
Capes, and the latter equally surprised when he saw that the ships in 
the offing composed a British fleet instead of the one he expected. De 
Grasse immediately took measures to decoy the British Admiral away 
from the mouth of the Bay, by putting to sea in order that De Barras 
might have an opportunity to slip in, as he knew from the time the 
latter had probably left Newport that he must arrive shortly. There- 
fore, avoiding a general engagement, De Grasse commenced to skirmish, 
meantime slowly receding from the shore, and the Admiral followed 
so far that De Barras passed in unmolested. This irregular fight lasted 
about five days, most of the time being taken in manceuvering. When 
De Grasse thought De Barras had had time to reach the Bay, he 
returned within the Capes, and there found the latter safely anchored 
(Sept. 10). Graves had been outmanceuvered and completely deceived 
as to the motive of t)e Grasse — whom he perhaps took for De 



28 THE CAMPAIGN OF THE ALLIES 

Barras — in not coming to a close engagement, meanwhile receding 
from the Capes. He soon, however, learned the result of the strata- 
gem, and was mortified to find both the French fleets within the 
Capes. Their united strength was now much superior to his own. 
The expedition had been a failure, and the Admiral returned to 
New York, giving as a reason, according to Stedman, that he "wished 
to put his ships in harbor before the equinox." In this singular action 
the French lost in killed and wounded two hundred and twenty men ; 
the Britisli ninety killed and two hundred and forty-six wounded, while 
one of their men-of-war was so disabled as to be abandoned and burned. 

When De Grasse first anchored in the Bay, Lafayette sent an officer 
who gave him information in respect to the situation in Virginia, and 
made arrangements for landing troops. The French Admiral at once 
sent a sufficient number of ships of the line and frigates to blockade the 
mouth of the York River, and by means of other war vessels took pos- 
session of the James. When Cornwallis learned of these forces gathering 
around him, he resolved to cut his way to the Carolinas, but on making 
the attempt his progress was effectually checked by the foresight of 
Washington. He found himself confronted by a force of three thou- 
sand French troops, who, under the Marquis St. Simon, had already 
passed up the James, and at a point some eight miles in the rear of York- 
town landed on the south side of the river; Wayne had also crossed to 
the same side to unite with the French, and both were ready to inter-' 
cept him. He reconnoitered Williamsburg, twelve miles from York- 
town, where Lafayette had taken position, and was surprised to find it 
fortified too strongly to be assaulted without great loss of life. He 
was completely hemmed in; there was no alternative; he must 
strengthen his defences as best he could, and meanwhile send expresses 
to Sir Henry Clinton informing him of the situation and to ask for 
aid. The entire British army went to work with determination, and 
labored incessantly to strengthen their somewhat advanced works. 

The hamlet of Yorktown is on the south side of York River ; directly 
opposite is a projection of land known as Gloucester Point. The river 
between these places is about one mile wide, and sufficiently deep to 
float ships of large burdens. Cornwallis took great pains, and his engi- 
neers showed much skill in fortifying Yorktown. On the land side were 
seven redoubts and six batteries* these were connected by intrench- 
ments; in addition were lines of batteries along the river bank. The 
town was situated between the mouths of creeks, whose beds were deep 
ravines, and these natural advantages were also skillfully made available. 



THE CAMPAIGN OF THE ALLIES 29 

Gloucester Point was similarly fortified ; in the river, out of range of 
the French fleet, were stationed British ships of war, while the stream 
below was obstructed by sunken vessels. Only about seven hundred 
men, under Col. Dundas, composed the garrison of the small fort at 
Gloucester Point ; the main force, nearly seven thousand strong, was 
within the fortifications of Yorktown. 

The Investment of York— On the afternoon of September 28, 1781, 
the French and American armies came insight, and encamped about two 
miles from the British lines. They approached cautiously and made no 
attack on the enemy's outposts. In the evening of the same day came 
to Cornwallis an express from Clinton, dated four days before, announc- 
ing that sufficient naval and land forces would be sent within twelve 
days to relieve him. Induced by this assurance of aid, during the fol- 
lowing night Cornwallis withdrew his troops within the fortifications 
proper of the town, which, from their limited extent, could be more 
effectively manned and defended. The outworks thus abandoned were 
occupied the next morning by the besiegers, and the town was completely 
invested. The Americans were stationed on the right ; the French on 
the left — each wing resting on York River — in a semicircle, at the dis- 
tance of more than a mile from the British works. Gloucester Point 
was also invested by the Duke de Lauzun's Legion, aided by marines from 
the French Fleet and by Virginia militia. The whole besieging force 
numbered about twelve thousand men besides the militia, which were 
drawn from Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. The greater part of 
the French squadron remained down the Bay at Lynn Haven, a conve- 
nient point to intercept aid from the ocean, as it was expected Clinton 
would send to the rescue a fleet from New York. 

A large body of the besiegers during a dark night (Oct. 6), in silence, 
but working with great energy, constructed their first parallel within 
six hundred yards of the enemy's works — this parallel was nearly two 
miles in length. The English were astonished when daylight revealed 
this formidable approach to their defences. The rapid manner in which 
the Americans threw up intrenchments had oftentimes surprised the 
British generals from Bunker Hill onward. The besieged immediately 
opened with artillery upon the men at work, but, being cautious and 
well protected, the latter continued their labor, and within a few days 
placed their guns in position and were ready to open fire upon the 
defences in front of the town. The cannonade began in the afternoon of 
the 9th of October, Gen. Washington himself applying the match to the 






30 THE CAMPAIGN OF THE AI I 

first gun; this was followed by a general discharge from cannon, mortars 
and howitzers. The halls and shells even reached the vessels in York 
River, and several transports, with the Charon, a forty-four gun ship, 
were burned by exploding shells and red-hot balls thrown by the 1 i 

artillerists. .Many of the British guns were dismounted ; the heavy ord- 
nance brought by 1 >e lianas t. ,ld tremendi »usly on their defeni 

When Cornwallis withdrew his men from the outworks, there still 
remained in line two well-manned redoubts in an advanced position of 

three hundred yards; these had withstood the cannonade for four days. 
The British garrison labored unceasingly during the' night to r 
1 reaches, and during the day kept up a spirited fire from what guns 
they had, as many had been disabled, and a large number of the men 
had been killed or wounded. 

When the besiegers attempted to throw up a second parallel, three 
hundred yards nearer the enemy's defenses, these redoubts from their 
position were able by a flanking fire to sweep the line of men when at 
work. It was found necessary to capture these redoubts; one was 
assigned to be taken by the French, the other by the Americans. This 
enterprise was undertaken by both parties in a spirit of generous emu- 
lation. The time chosen was eight o'clock, in the evening of the 14th 
of October ; both detachments were promptly ready for the assault, and 
when the signal — a rocket sent up — was given, they rushed to the 
attack; the Americans under Alexander Hamilton made short work of 
the abattis, and scrambling over the parapet captured their redoubt 
with the bayonet alone, losing nine men killed and thirty-three wounded ; 
the French, under the Baron de Viomenil, made their attack in a more 
formal manner, even waiting for the sappers to remove the abattis, and 
when the soldiers rushed in they found the garrison prepared for them; 
the struggle, though short and sharp, ended in the capture of the 
redoubt, but at the expense of nearlv one hundred men. Men were at 
once put to work, and before daylight these captured redoubts were 
also included within the line of the second parallel. Guns were 
promptly brought forward, and a fire, heavier than before, was opened 
upon the defences of the besieged. 

Two days later the British commander, wishing to retard the 
approach of his enemy, ordered a sortie to be made. The attacking 
force was nearly four hundred strong and in two divisions, one under 
Col. Abercrombie and the other under Major Armstrong. The time 
chosen was a little before daybreak, and by a spirited assault they car- 
ried two redoubts in the French position, and hastily spiked eleven can- 



THE CAMPAIGN OF THE ALLIES 3* 

non. The supporting troops in the trenches soon rallied, and as day- 
light was approaching drove the assailants back to their own quarters. 
Within twelve hours the spikes were drilled out, and the guns were 
again doing effective service. The besiegers had now nearly one hun- 
dred guns, large and small, to play on the fortifications of the English, 
while the latter could scarcely show a dozen. 

Driven to desperation, but not willing to relax an effort, Cornwallis 
determined to abandon everything, even his sick and wounded, pass 
over to Gloucester, overcome the besiegers of that place, seize their 
horses, and cut his way toward the north. He certainly could not hope 
to reach New York and unite with Clinton, yet such was his horror of 
surrendering that he fain would struggle to the last. Boats were col- 
lected, and one division crossed over before the middle of the night fol- 
lowing the repulse from the redoubts ; the second was about to embark 
when suddenly a storm of wind and rain came on, which drove the boats 
down the river. By the time they were again collected it was too late ; 
day was dawning, and an effort must be made to bring back the first 
division, which, when returning, was subjected to a galling fire from the 
besiegers' batteries. 

Cornwallis' command was in a deplorable condition ; scarcely could 
he mount a gun ; his works were shattered under an incessant shower 
of cannon balls and shells ; his force was reduced to less than four thou- 
sand effective men ; the remainder were either killed, wounded or sick; 
all hope of aid from Clinton was at an end ; indeed, some days before 
he had written to him in a despairing tone, saying : " I cannot recom- 
mend that the navy and army should run great risk in endeavoring to 
save us." To spare the effusion of blood in case of assault by an over- 
whelming and exultant force, he sent a note to Washington on the 17th 
of October (the anniversary of the surrender of Burgoyne at Saratoga), 
asking an armistice of twenty-four hours, that terms of capitulation 
might be agreed upon. As Clinton might arrive any hour with rein- 
forcements both by sea and land, only two hours were given for his 
Lordship to put his proposals in writing. These when presented were 
not found to be satisfactory. Afterward Washington transmitted the 
terms on which he would accept the surrender. 

The Capitulation and Surrender. — The Commissioners on the 
part of the allied forces to conduct the negotiations were Col. John Lau- 
rens and the Viscount de Noailles, and on the part of the British, Major 
Ross and Col. Dundas. The terms of capitulation were as follows : York- 



j2 THE CAMPAIGN OF THE A I I lis 

town and Gloucester Point, with their garrisons and all their wfbi 

material, to 1><- surrendered to Gen. Washington, as Commander-in- 
Chief <>l the combined army, ami the ships of war and Othei 
with the transports, to Count de Grasse — the land forces were to be 
prisoners to Congress, and the seamen to France. The officers ol the 
higher rank were dismissed on their parole, and permitted to go to 
Europe, or to any port in possession ol British troops. The private 
property of both officers and men was to be respected. One sloop-of- 
war, the lionet ta, was allowed to depart unchallenged, with such 
persons on board as Lord Cornwallis designated. This was desij 
to give the most obnoxious tories an opportunity to leave the country. 
The same expedient had been adopted when Boston was evacuated — 
a ship, unchallenged, sailed for Halifax, in which many tories took 
passage; hence the almost forgotten proverb, "Gone to Halifax." 
The Bonetta was to return, and, with her crew and armament, given 
up. The traders within the lines were not counted as prisoners; they 
were granted a certain length of time to arrange their affairs and leave. 
During the occupation of Virginia an immense amount of private 
property had been taken from the inhabitants by British soldiers or 
their marauding expeditions; this could be reclaimed by its owners. 

The terms of capitulation were arranged and signed by eleven on 
the morning of the 19th October; the British army was to march out 
at two o'clock the same day and lay down their arms. In the presence 
of quiet, but rejoicing, thousands who had flocked from the region 
round about, and of the allied armies, numbering sixteen thousand 
men, drawn up in becoming silence as for a review, the garrison of 
York marched to the place designated, and there laid down their arms. 
Lord Cornwallis, on the plea of indisposition — whether physical or 
moral is not definitely known — declined to be present, but sent Gen. 
OTIara as his deputy to make the surrender. At Charleston, when 
Gen. Lincoln capitulated, the Americans were not permitted to march 
out with their colors flying, as had been granted to Burgoyne, but with 
colors cased. It was thought proper, therefore, on this occasion to 
deny the courtesy granted at Saratoga, and the British soldiers were 
directed to march out with their colors cased; and Gen. Lincoln was 
deputed by Washington to receive the sword of Cornwallis. The 
garrison of Gloucester was surrendered with similar formality. 

Yorktown was now a name to be honored, even beyond those of 
Bunker Hill and Saratoga. How much was involved in that surrender! 
The long struggle was virtually ended. It had been a contest, not for 



THE CAMPAIGN OF THE ALLIES 33 

power, not for aggrandizement, but for the establishment of a great prin- 
ciple. Said Lafayette to Napoleon, when he sneered at the smallness of 
the armies engaged in the American Revolution: " It was the grandest 
of causes, won by the skirmishes of sentinels and outposts." It is true, 
the number who fell on the battle-fields of this war was comparatively 
small. The names of but few of these have come down to us; they 
were written only on the hearts of friends and relatives who mourned 
their loss. Scarcely was there a family but had a precious record ; the 
cherished memory of some one who had thus sacnfied his life. 

Rejoicing and Thanksgiving. — The morning following the sur- 
render, Washington, in General Orders, congratulated the combined 
armies on the success their bravery achieved. He added : " Divine 
service will be performed to-morrow in the several brigades and divis- 
ions," and recommended that the soldiers should attend, " with that 
seriousness of deportment and gratitude of heart which the recogni- 
tion of such reiterated and astonishing interpositions of Providence 
demand of us." Such was the tone of feeling that pervaded the 
whole land ; it burst forth from the household, from the pulpit, 
from the press. When Congress received the news, it proceeded in 
a body to a church, and there publicly offered thanks to Almighty God 
" for the special favor He had manifested to their struggling country." 
They also appointed a day of National Thanksgiving and prayer, " in 
acknowledgment of the signal interposition of Divine Providence." 

The Congress voted thanks to Washington and to Counts de Rocham- 
beau and de Grasse and to the officers and soldiers of both armies. It 
likewise passed resolutions to erect a monumental column at Yorktown 
in commemoration of the union of the American and French armies, 
and of the victory they had achieved. On the day of the surrender 
the tardy Sir Henry Clinton left Sandy Hook. Arriving at the Capes 
on the 24th October, he learned of the result, and found a French fleet 
far outnumbering his own. After lingering four days off the Capes, as 
nothing could now be done for the royal cause in Virginia, he returned 
to New York. 

Washington was anxious to prosecute the war in the South vigor- 
ously and at once ; especially to capture the two most important places 
held by the British, Charleston and Savannah. To accomplish this, it 
was necessary to have the cooperation of the French fleet, but Count 
de Grasse declined to assist, pleading as a reason the orders of the 
French Government, and that his presence with the fleet was essential 



34 THE CAMPAIGN OF THE ALLIES 

in the West Indies. Had this cooperation been attained, no doubt the 
enemy would have been forced to surrender those strongholds; instead 
tiington could only send a detachment of two thousand Conti- 
nentals or regulars to reinforce Gen. Greene. 

A portion of the French troops, those under the Martinis St. Simon, 
embarked for home, while with the remainder De Rochambeau went 
into winter quarters at Williamsburg, in a central position, that, if 
need be, he could cooperate with Gen. Greene in the South or with the 
army on the Hudson. Meanwhile the British prisoners, unde: 
were sent inland by regiments to Winchester in Virginia, to Frederick 
in Maryland, and to Lancaster in Pennsylvania. They were supplied, 
in respect to rations and comforts, in the same manner as the American 
soldiers. 

Washington returned north, lingering for some weeks in Phila- 
delphia to concert measures with the committees of Congress relative 
to the affairs of the army, and for the energetic prosecution of the next 
campaign. Meanwhile the victorious patriots moved on to their old 
quarters in Jersey and on the Hudson. 



BE IT REMEMBEREDi 

§ THAT cm the i?th of October, J 781, Lieutenant-General Earl £ 
$ >* 

ft CORNWALLIS, with above Five thoufand Britiih Troops, fur- 5 
% 8 

I rendered themfelves Prisoners of War to His Excellency Gen- GEORGE K 

I WASHINGTON, Commander in Chief of the allied Forces of J • 

% . s 

vS France and America. 

L- L A U S D E Qj j 

FROM LOUDON'S NEW YORK PACKET 
(Printed at Fishkill, Nov, i, 1781) 

On the three pages following are given the names and military dis- 
position of the allied forces engaged in the Yorktown campaign, as 
arranged for the Afagazine of American History (October, 1881), in which 
they were published. 




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FRENCH OFFICERS AT THE SIEGE OF YORK 



Arranged from original authorities 



Count de Rociiambeau, Lieutenant-General, Commanding 

General Officers — Baron de Viomenil, Chevalier de Chastellux, Marquis de Saint-Simon, Cheva- 
lier de Viomenil, MarSchaux-de-Camp ; M. de Choisy, Brigadier; M. de Beville, Quarter- 
master-General; M. Blanchard, Commissary-General. 

Aides-de-Camp to Count de Rochambeau — First Aid, Count de Fersen, Second Lieutenant ; 
Chevalier de Lameth (Charles), Colonel ; Count de Damas, Colonel ; Count de Dumas, Colonel; 
Baron de Closen, Captain ; M. de Lauberdiere, Captain ; Baron Cromot-du-bourg, Chevalier 
de Be'ville, Captain. To Baron de Viomenil — Chevalier d'Olonne, Second Lieutenant ; 
Marquis de Vauban ; To Chevalier de Chastellux — M. de Montesquieu. 

General Staff — Aides Major-General — M. de Menonville, Lieut. -Colonel; M. de Tarle, Lieut. 
Colonel ; M. de Bouchet, Captain; Aide-Major of Infantry — M. Lynch, Captain; Aide- 
Major — M. de St. Felix, Captain; Aide-Major of Artillery — Chevalier de Plessis- 

Mauduit, C apitaine-en- Second ; Quartermaster-General's Aids — M. Collot, ; M. 

M. de Beville (Junior), Captain; Count de Chabannes ; Chevalier de Lameth (Alexandre), 
Captain; Topographical Engineers — Alexander de Berthier, Captain; Captain of the 
Guides — M. Mullens, Lieutenant. 

Field Officers of Rochambeau's Army 

Regiment BourBONNAIS — Marquis de Laval-Montmorenci, Colonel ; Vicomte de Rochambeau, 
Colonel-en- Second ; M. de Bressolles, Lieut. -Colonel ; M. de Gambs, Major. 

Regiment Soissonnais — Count de Saint-Maime, Colonel; Vicomte de Noailles, Colonel-en-Second ; 
M. d'Anselme, Lieut. -Colonel ; M. Despeyron, Major. 

Regiment Royal Deux-Ponts — Marquis Christian des Deux-Ponts, Comte de Forbach, Colonel; 
Count Guillaume des Deux-Ponts, Colonel-en-Second ; Count de Fersen, Mestre-de-Camp 

Regiment Saintonge — Count de Custine, Colonel ; Count de Charlus, Colonel-en-Second ; Cheva- 
lier de la Vallette, Lieut. -Colonel ; de Fleury, Major. 

Lauzun's Legion — Duke de Lauzun, Brigadier Commanding ; M. Scheldon, Mestre-de-Camp of 
Hussars. 

Regiment Dillon — Count Arthur de Dillon, Colonel ; Barthele'my Dillon, Lieut. -Colonel; Jacques 
O'Moran. 

Field Officers of Marquis de Saint-Simon's Army 

Regiment Touraine — Vicomte de Pondeux, Colonel ; M. de Montlezun, Lieui.-Colonel ; M. de 
Menonville, Major; Count de Flechin, Chevalier de Mirabeau (brother of the famous Tribune), 
Mestres-de- Camp . 

Regiment AGENOIS — Count d'Audichamp, Colonel ; Chevalier de Cadinau, Lieut. -Colonel ; M. de 
Beauregard, Major. 

Regiment Gatinois (Royal Auvergne) — Marquis de Rostaing, Colonel ; Vicomte de Bethisy, 
Colonel-en-Second ; M. de l'Estrade, Lieut. -Colonel ; M. Chapuy de Tourville, Major. 

Royal Engineers— M. de Querenet, Colonel ; Cantel Danetville, Major. 

Artillery (Regiment Auxonne), M. de Buzelet. 



IWSl'osmoN AM) ORDER OF BATTLE OF THE ALLIED ARMIES 

ON 'I 111. 

MARCH PROM WILLIAMSBURGH, TO THE SIEGE OF YORK 

27TH Sep 1 i.mi:i k 1 781 

Arranged liy Ami Bird Gardner 

Hi:, Excellency Gener.il George Washington, Commander-in-Chief 

Right Wing {first line) Left Wing (first line) 

American forces French Auxiliary Forces 

RIGHT Wing {American) 
Major General BENJAMIN LINCOLN, U. S. A., of Massachusetts, Commanding 

First or Right Division [right wing) 
Major General the Ma&QUIS DE Lafayette, U. S. A., Commanding 

Al>\ \N< 1 ( il'ARl) 

1. Pennsylvania Volunteer Battalion Riflemen, Major Wm. 1'arr of Pa., Commanding 

2. 4th Regiment Continental Light Dragoons, Colonel Stephen MOYLAN of Penn. 



Second or Left Brigade (1st Division) 

Colonel Moses Hazen, Canadian Regiment, 
Continental Infantry, Commanding Brigade, 
viz.: 

nent of Light Infantry, composed of the 
Light Infantry Companies of the 1st and 2d 
New Hampshire Continental Infantry, of the 
Canadian Regiment, and 1st and 2d New 
Jersey Continental Infantry, under Colonel 
ALEXANDER Scammell, 1st New Hampshire 
Continental Infantry, and Major Nathan 
, A. D. C, of Mass. 

2d Battalion of Light Infantry (4. Companies) 
composed of the Light Companies 1st and 2d 
New York Continental Infantry, and 2 Com- 
panies of New York Levies, under Lieut. 
Colonel ALEXANDER Hamilton, of New 
rk, and Major Nicholas Fish, 2d New 
York Continental Infantry. 

3d Canadian Continental Regiment, Infantry, 
Lieut. Colonel Edward A.ntill, Command- 



First or Right Brigade (1st Division) 

Brig. General John Peter Gabriel Mchi.en- 
BERG, I". S. A., of Pennsylvania, Commanding 
Brigade, viz.: 

Regiment of Light Infantry (3 Companies) com- 
posed of the Light Infantry Companies of the 
1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th, "th and 8th Regi- 
ments, Massachusetts Continental Infantry, 
under Colonel Joseph Vose, 1st Massachu- 
setts, and Major Galvan, unattached. 

Regiment of Light Infantry (3 Companies) com- 
posed of the Light Infantry, Companies of 
the 9th and 10th Massachusetts Continental 
Infantry, 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th and 5th Regiments, 
Connecticut Continental Infantry, and Rhode 
"island Regiment, Continental Infantry under 
Lieut. Colonel J. Gimat, A. D. C, and 
Major John PALSGRAVE WYLLIS, 3d Con- 
necticut. 



ing. 

Second or Center Division (right wing) 
Major General Baron DE Steuben, Inspector General U. S. A., Commanding 



2d or Left Brigade (2d Division) 

Brig. General Anthony Wayne, U. S. A., of 
Pennsylvania, Commanding, viz.: 

1st Regiment Pennsylvania Continental Infantry, 
composed of 1st and 2d Regiments consoli- 
dated. Colonel Daniel Brodhead, Com- 
manding. 

2d Regiment Pennsylvania Continental Infantry, 
composed of 3d and 5th Regiments consolida- 
ted. Colonel Richard Butler, Commanding. 

3d Regiment Pennsylvania Continental Infantry, 
composed of the 4th and 6th Regiments con- 
solidated. Lieut. Colonel \V.\i. Butler, 
Commanding. 

1st Virginia Continental Infantry, Lieut. Thos. 
GASKINS, 3d Virginia Continental Infantry, 
Commanding. 



1st or Bight Brigade (2d Division 

Brig. General Mordecai Gist, U. S. A., of 
Maryland, Commanding, viz.: 

3d Maryland Continental Infantry, Lieut. Col- 
onel Peter Adams, Commanding. 

4th Mankind Continental Infantry, Lieut. Col- 
onel Thomas Woolford, Commanding. 

5th Maryland Continental Infantry-, Major 
ALEXANDER ROXBURGH, Commanding. 

Baltimore Light Dragoons, Colonel Nicholas 
Ruxton Moore. 

Frederick Light Dragoons, . 



Third or Left Division {right wing) 
Brigadier General James Clinton, U. S. A., of New York, Commanding 



2d or Left Brigade (3d Division) 

Colonel Elias Dayton, 2d New Jersey Conti- 
nental Infantry, Commanding, viz.: 

1st Regiment New Jersey Continental Infantry, 
Colonel Matthias Ogden, Commanding. 

2d Regiment New Jersey Continental Infantry, 
Lieut. Colonel Fkancis Barber, Command- 
ing. 

Rhode Island Regiment Continental Infantry, 
Lieut. Colonel Comd't Jeremiah Olney, 
Commanding. 



\st or Right Brigade (3d Division) 

Colonel Goose Van Schaick, 1st Regiment 
New York Continental Infantry, Command- 
ing, viz. : 

1st Regiment New York Continental Infantry, 
Lieut. Colonel Cornelius Van Dyck, Com- 
manding. 

2d Regiment New York Continental Infantry, 
Colonel Philip Van Cortlandt, Com- 
manding. 



Left Wing (French) 

Lieut. General Count de Rochambeau, Commanding 

The precise disposition of these French troops is not known. The composition of the army of 
Rochambeau will be found on the next page. 



Left 

1st Virginia State Regiment 
Infantry in Continental Ser- 
vice. Colonel George Gib- 
son, Commanding. 



Intermediate Line 

Center 

Brig. General Chevalier le 
Begue du Port ail, Chief of 
Engineers, U. S. A., Com- 
manding. 

Battalion of Sappers and Min- 
ers. 



Right 

Brig. General Henry Knox, 
U. S. A., of the Artillery, 
Commanding Park of Artil- 
lery, viz.: 

2d Regiment Continental Corps 
of Artillery, Colonel John 
Lamb, of New York, Com- 
manding, Lieut. Colonel Eb- 
enezer Stevens, Major Se- 
bastian Bauman. 

To this regiment was attached 
temporarily Lieut. Colonel 
Edward Carrington, of 
Virginia Artillery. 



Reserve or Second Line 

His Excellency, Thomas Nelson, Governor of Virginia (ranking as Major General U. S. A.), 
Commanding Division Virginia Militia 



Left Brigade 

Brigadier General Edward Stevens, Virginia 
Militia (formerly Colonel 10th Virginia Con- 
tinentals,), Commanding Brigade Virginia 
Militia. 



Right Brigade 

Brigadier General Robert Lawson, Virginia 
Militia (formerly Colonel 4th Virginia Conti- 
nentals), Commanding Brigade Virginia Mi- 
litia. 



Rear Guard 

Major James R. Reid, Canadian Continental Regiment Infantry, Commanding Rear Guard and 

Camp Guard 



THE FRANKLIN MEDAL 



Till", medal (outlines of whi< h are given below) stru. k in France by Benjamin Franklin, 
then Minister of the United States to thai court, originated in connection with the 
project of erecting the memorial monument already mentioned, as shown in the following 
extracts from correspondence between Ur. Franklin and Robert K. Livingston, Secretary 
fur Foreign Affairs: 



/■• to Franklin, 
Philadelphia, December 16, 1781. 

" I enclose a resolution of Con^ri !8S for erect- 
ing a pillar to commemorate the \i< tory at 
Yorktown. I must request your assistant e in 
enabling me to carry it into effect, so far as it 
relates to me, by sending the sketch they re- 
quire, with an estimate of the expense with 
which it will be attended. . . ." 

Franklin to Livingston. 

PASSY, March 4, 1732. 
" I will endeavor to procure a sketch of an em- 
blem for the purpose you mention. This puts 
me in mind of a medal I have had a mind to 
strike since the last great event you gave me an 
account of, representing the United States by 
the figure of an infant Hercules in his cradle 
strangling the two serpents, and France by that 
of Minerva, sitting by as his nurse, with her 
spear and helmet, and her robe specked with a 
few Jlenrs de lis. The extinguishment of two 
entire armies in one war is what has rarely 



happened, and it gives a presage of the future 
force of our growing empire." 

Franklin to Livingston. 

Pass? . April 15, 1783. 
" I have caused to be struck here the medal 
which I formerly mentioned to you, the d< 
of which you seemed to approve. I enclose 
one in silver for the President of Congress, and 
one in copper "for yourself. The impression in 
copper is thought to appear best, and you will 
soon receive a number for the members. I 
have presented one to the King and another to 
the Queen, both in gold, and one in silver to 
each of the ministers, as a monumental ac- 
knowledgment, which may go down to future 
ages, of the obligations we are under to this 
nation. It is mighty well received, and gives 
general pleasure. If the Congress approve of 
it, as I hope they will, I may add something 
on the die (for those to be struck hereafter), 
to show that it was done by their order, which 
I could not venture to do till I had authority 
for it. B. Franklin." 




Dfscrittion of the Medal. 
From Loubat's MedtUlic History ef the United States. 
I.idertas Americana (American Liberty). — The head of a beautiful maiden facing the left, with dishevelled 
hair floating in the wind ; and with the rod of liberty, surmounted by the Phrygian cap, on her right shoulder. 
Exergue, 4 Juil, 1776. On edge of bust, DUFItfi F. (fecit). NOH Sink I>ns AnIMOSUS Imans ( The courageous 
child -.vas aided by the gods). — The infant Hercules (America), in his cradle, is strangling two serpents, while 
Minerva (France) stands by, hclmcted and with spear in her ri^ht hand, ready to strike a leopard (England), whose 
attacks she wards off with her shield, decked with the lilies of France. Exergue, JJ— Oct. \\\\ Duprb F. (fecit). 



THE CLOSE OF THE WAR 

After the Surrender — For long and weary months now the 
armies remained in their quarters, keeping a vigilant watch. Time 
wore along, and the troops became demoralized and wearied by the 
irksomeness of waiting while it was said that negotiations for peace 
were in progress — negotiations in which they had no share, and whose 
results they could not see. After the surrender a few skirmishes 
occurred between the opposing forces in the South. In one of these, in 
the vicinity of Charleston, John Laurens, son of Henry Laurens, was 
slain ; a young man of great promise, and whose services in behalf 
of his country were notable, he was universally lamented. The British, 
soon after they learned of the disaster to Cornwallis, evacuated their 
outposts in the South and concentrated their forces in Charleston and 
Savannah ; in the North, New York was the only place in their posses- 
sion. These three cities were thus held until peace was concluded. 

It was two years after the surrender that the American troops re- 
mained on the Hudson and in Jersey, chafing under the delay ; they 
were restless because they wished to be disbanded and return to their 
homes. They> had received but little of their pay, and in consequence 
they suffered great privations. Congress passed resolutions to relieve 
the army, but it had no power to enforce them ; the resources of the 
people were well-nigh exhausted, and distress reigned throughout the 
land. The soldiers of the army manifested their patriotism under these 
trials by remaining faithful to their duties ; three years before, Congress 
had voted to give them half pay for life, but this promise could not be 
fulfilled, and it was changed to full pay for five years, and an advance 
of full pay for four months. Their patience was nearly exhausted. 
Washington wrote urgent letters in their behalf to the Secretary of War, 
and through him to Congress. He spoke of these patriotic men being 
turned out on the world " soured by penury, involved in debts, without 
one farthing to carry them home." It was not strange that discontent 
prevailed among the men and officers ; they were sadly disappointed at 
the delay of peace, while the diplomatists of France and England at 
Paris were delaying negotiations in order, if possible, to overreach each 
other, and the American commissioners had only to wait. 

At the same time rivalries and jealousies were increasing among the 
States ; their condition was anomalous ; there was no nucleus around 
which their hopes of success might crystallize, unless it was Congress, 



40 THE CLOSE OF THE WAR 

which could not enforce its own decrees. The experiment of a republic 
on a large scale had not been tried, and it was not clear how a number 
(it States could be welded into a government worthy <»i re pe< t. 

ro this general condition of discontent may be traced the origin of 
the famous address known afterward to have been written by Captain 
Armstrong, sun ol General Armstrong, of Pennsylvania. 

This address, which was privately circulated in camp, embodied the 
sentiments of a few officers ; but there was evidently a deep undertone 
of feeling abroad among the soldiers which thus found expression. It 
called upon the officers to assemble and take measures themselves to 
have their wrongs redressed, and compel Congress to pay their just 
demands. The following morning in general orders Washington took 
the opportunity to disapprove of the call as a violation of discipline ; he 
also named a day for the officers to assemble to hear the report of their 
committee, which had been sent to lay their grievances before Con- 
^. This forestalled the meeting to be held under the call of the ad- 
dress, as four days later that of the officers was to take place. Meanwhile 
another but much milder address was issued from the same source. 

The meeting announced by the Commander-in-chief was held. Gen- 
eral Gates, being second in command, was elected chairman. When it 
was organized, Washington came in and made a forcible yet a soothing 
speech, pointing out the evils that would result from the adoption of the 
measures that were proposed in the addresses. He appealed to their 
patriotism, and urged them to make one more effort for their country, 
whose justice he hoped they would not distrust. lie pledged his word 
to exert all his influence with Congress to redress their grievances and 
fulfil its own promises. The soldiers for the most part understood well 
the difficulties under which the people labored in the exhausted condi- 
tion of the whole land. The meeting, after Washington withdrew, 
passed resolutions strongly condemning the spirit disclosed in the ad- 
dresses. It shows the deep underlying sentiment of obedience to law, 
and the integrity of the people, that a crisis so threatening was safely 
passed through by these half-clad, half-fed, and less than half-paid soldiers. 

The official news of the surrender was received in England (Nov. 
25th, 1781) with great surprise; for this result seems to have been un- 
expected, as the impression was abroad that Cornwallis was able to 
take the aggressive whenever he chose. The king and his ministry and 
the greater portion of the aristocracy — the war party — were thunder- 
struck. Lord North, who had been Prime Minister for twelve years, 
and encouraged the king in his prosecution of the war, it is said 



THE CLOSE OF THE WAR 41 

" paced his room, and throwing his arms wildly about kept exclaiming-, 
' O God ! it is all over ; it is all over.' " Public opinion compelled him 
to resign. The king was still unwilling to give up the contest, but the 
people had grown weary of the war and the expense, and were willing 
to have peace even at the price of acknowledging the independence of 
the rebellious Colonies. They were convinced that the Government 
had been unreasonably harsh in its treatment of the Colonies ; yet the 
war party seem to have been unable to appreciate this feeling among 
the mass of the intelligent English people, who sympathized with the 
Americans, struggling for that political freedom which had been for 
generations the boast and heritage of Englishmen. 

Sir Henry Clinton was recalled, and in defending himself against 
charges of inefficiency he endeavored to throw the blame of the great 
failure on Cornwallis ; the latter retorted by declaring that had he been 
permitted to carry out his own plans the result would have been differ- 
ent. Cornwallis was afterward promoted and made Governor-General 
of India. Sir Guy Carleton was sent to take command at New York 
instead of Clinton. When Governor of Canada, Carleton had won the 
respect of the Americans by his fair dealing. Almost the first order he 
now issued was to forbid the Indians and Tories making- marauding 
incursions from Canada into New York State. Being authorized, he 
made overtures for peaGe by addressing a letter to Washington. 

Peace — Congress thereupon appointed five commissioners to arrange 
a treaty with Great Britain — John Adams, Doctor Benjamin Franklin, 
Henry Laurens (who had been a prisoner confined in the Tower, but 
now exchanged for Cornwallis), and John Jay. The two British com- 
missioners met the Americans in Paris. The latter came prepared to 
demand that Britain should retain the valley of the Ohio, and the 
greater portion of what is now the State of Maine as belonging to Nova 
Scotia ; and in their instructions they were authorized to treat with 
"certain colonies." The latter phrase was inserted, it seems, to 
gratify the subbornness of the king. The American commissioners re- 
fused to enter upon negotiations unless in the name of the United States 
of America, and as an independent nation. This was conceded on the 
30th of November, 1782. A preliminary treaty was made and signed ; 
this Congress ratified in April, 1783. Negotiations meanwhile con- 
tinued, and the final treaty was not completed until the 3d of Sep- 
tember, 1783. France and England also made a treaty of peace, and 
the American commissioners concluded treaties of commerce with Hoi- 



42 THE ' i OSE OF THE war 

land and Spain, thus commencing the career of the new nation. 
Before the treaty ol peace bad been signed and ratified, on the [9th 
o! April, 1783, the cessation ol hostilities and a general peace were 
proclaimed in the camp at Newburgh, on the Hudson. The date is a 
notable one in American history. The 19th of April, [783, wastheanni- 
\ ersary ol the battle < »f Lexington, eight years before, which inaugurated 
the War ot the Revolution; and eighty-six years later, on the [9U1 ol 
April, [861, was shed in the streets of Baltimore the fust blood in the 
War ol the Rebellion. The results of both wars established great prin- 
ciples promoting the welfare ol the American people for all time. 

The soldiers of Burgoyne who had been captured at Saratoga (Octo- 
ber 13th, \yj~) had now been prisoners more than five years ; they were 
. encamped in log huts at Charlottesville, Va. Together with the men of 
Cornwallis' command they were now marched to New York, where a 
general exchange of prisoners took place. Numbers of these British 
soldiers, it is said, deserted on this march, and remained in the country. 
The Tories of New York were mostly wealthy ; their lot was hard in- 
deed, but they had little sympathy from the people, who had suffered 
by their rapacity when they held office in the British service. The 
laws of the States enacted in respect to Tories were severe, and now at 
the close of the contest thousands of them bade farewell to their native 
country. Some went to Nova Scotia and Canada ; those in the South 
emigrated principally to the West Indies. For some time evils came 
home to the domestic hearth ; members of families were alienated ; some 
had been Whigs and some Tories, and the rancor that so often prevails 
in times of civil discord marred the happiness of many thousands. It 
is pleasant to record, however, that some years later a spirit of forgive- 
ness began to pervade the minds of the American people, and this led 
to the repeal of the laws against the Tories ; in consequence great num- 
bers of them returned to their native land, and became worthy citizens. 

With what sacrifices independence was at last attained ! The ruins 
of towns attested the calamities of war, as well as a ravaged country 
and prostrated industries, while in addition an enormous debt was con- 
tracted by the States and by Congress. To estimate the amount of this 
debt and the difficulties in paving it, we must take into consideration 
the limited resources of the United States in that day. But no sacrifice 
can be too great to pay for such blessings as have followed in the train 
of liberty on this grand continent. Happy as were those who gained 
that for which they suffered, they could not have imagined the glorious 
results of their heroism. 




Design for the Yorktown Monument. 



THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY 
1781-1881 

THE importance of the surrender of Cornwallis made its centennial anni- 
versary one of national interest, second only to that of the Declaration 
of Independence on July 4th, 1776. All the other anniversaries of this cen- 
tennial period had been more or less local ; the most important being that 
of Saratoga. 

Plans for Celebration— In October, 1879, the Governors of the original 
Thirteen States, either personally or by their representatives, met in council 
in Philadelphia to devise measures by which the people of the whole Union 
could unite in celebrating this event, so influential in the nation's history. 
The interest in the subject increased from the time of the meeting of this 
council, and nearly all the old Thirteen States, through the action of their 
Legislatures and committees of prominent citizens, made arrangements to 
take part in the ceremonies. 

On the 3d of December, 1879, Mr. John Goode, of Virginia, introduced in 
the House of Representatives a resolution which led to the appointment of 
a select committee of that body, consisting of thirteen members, to act con- 
jointly with a similar one of the same number to be appointed from the Sen- 
ate. The duties of this joint committee were to inquire into the expediency 
of erecting at Yorktown the memorial monument originally ordered by Con- 
gress in 1781, but never accomplished, and " to make all the necessary 
arrangements for such a celebration by the American people of the centen- 
nial anniversary of the battle of Yorktown, on the 19th of October, 18S1, as 
shall befit the historical significance of that event and the present greatness 
of the nation." This bill, being concurred in by both Houses of Congress, 
was approved by President Hayes June 7th, 1880. 

For the purpose of aiding the National Government in the celebration, The 
Yorktown Centennial Association was organized under the laws of Virginia. 
Its declared purpose was "to promote and secure a proper celebration." 
They resolved to purchase land, and " to secure through the issue of stock 
sufficient means to provide the proper accommodations for the people who 
will desire to visit the historic ground ;" saying, " the grounds will be free 
to all Government and State officials, and the invited guests of the Federal 
Commission." The citizens were expected to pay a small charge for admis- 
sion, to partly reimburse the few who advanced the funds to provide the 
necessary accommodations. 



44 I Hi CENTENNIAl ANNI\ ERSARY 

Tin- Invitations- -A joint resolution of Congress authorized and reque 
the President " to extend to the Government and people of France, and the 
family of General Lafayette, a cordial invitation to unite with the Govern- 
ment and people of the United States, on the 19th day of October, 
a tit and appropriate observant e of the < entennial annh ersary of the surren- 
der of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown." As this invitation in< luded only the 
official representatives of the French Republic and the family of Lafayette, it 
was thought proper to extend the invitation to the descendants of other 
French officers who did service in the canse. In accordance with this senti- 
ment, at a conference held in the City of New York (May y th, 11 by the 
Ybrktown Centennial Association, with the commissioners appointed by the 
Governors of the original Thirteen States and the commissioner who repre- 
sented Congress, it was resolved to invite personally " the descendants bear- 
ing the name of Count de Rochambeau, Admiral de Grasse, and Admiral 
de Barras, to be present at the celebration and to become our guests during 
its continuance ;" and also that the French Government be requested to 
send a detachment of its fleet and army, and that " while in American waters, 
the fleet and army, its commanders and officers, be the guests of the nation." 

The Secretary of State, James G. Blaine, by direction of President Gar- 
field, tendered through the American Minister, Andrew D. White, at Berlin, 
" an invitation to the representatives of Baron Steuben* in Germany to 
attend the celebration as guests of the Government of the United States ;" 
saying also, " Those who come as representatives of the Baron Steuben's 
family will be assured, in this day of peace and prosperity, of as warm a wel- 
come as was given to their illustrious kinsman in the dark days of adversity 
and war." 

The Legislature of Rhode Island (June 3d, 1S81), after enumerating the 
advantages the people of that State received from the French fleets when 
moored in Narragansett Bay in 1778-80, and from their army encamped 
at Newport, in protection from marauding excursions of the common enemy, 
authorized the Governor "to invite the representatives of France who visit 
the United States to participate in the celebration in October, to visit Rhode 
Island." A committee of citizens was designated by the Governor "to 
assist him in entertaining the guests of the State." Similar invitations were 
extended from nearly all the old Thirteen States, the Governors of which 
were authorized to extend the courtesies of their respectives States to the 
delegation of the French Republic. In these States also, committees com- 
posed of prominent citizens aided the authorities in entertaining the nation's 
guests. 

* Pronounced in German, Stoiben. 



THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY 



45 



The Celebration 



Opening Services — In accordance 
with arrangements, religious services 
were held, on Sunday, October 16th, 
in the pavilion erected by the Cen- 
tennial Association in the grounds to 
the south of Yorktown. The attend- 
ance was not as large as expected, the 
crowd of visitors not arriving till the 
following day. 

The French and German guests 
were still at Washington enjoying the 
hospitalities of the capital. They 
were first conducted to -the State De- 
partment by the French and German 
Ministers, who introduced them to the 
Secretary of State and the other mem- 
bers of the Cabinet. Thence they were 
taken in carriages to the Capitol, in a 
procession formed to escort them, and 
accompanied by the Cabinet. Along 
Pennsylvania Avenue were displayed 
the French and German flags blended 
with the Stars and Stripes. On 
reaching the Capitol they were form- 
ally received in the Rotunda by the 
President, the Senate having taken a 
recess in order to be present at the 
presentation. That body soon recon- 
vened, and the guests were escorted to 
the Senate Chamber, where they were 
formally welcomed by a few appro- 
priate words from Senator Bayard, of 
Delaware. The guests were the re- 
cipients of many courtesies while they 
remained in Washington. 

The National Ceremonies — On- 
Monday evening, the 17th, several 
steamers left Washington laden with 



those who were to take part in the 
ceremonies on the following day. 
They passed down the Potomac into 
Chesapeake Bay, and up York River 
to Yorktown. About daylight most 
of the steamers from Washington ar- 
rived. Hampton Roads presented a 
brilliant appearance, with its men-of- 
war, private yachts,and other steamers 
and sailing craft from the Hudson 
and the Chesapeake, from Richmond, 
Norfolk, and Baltimore. Among the 
war-vessels were the French frigate 
Magicienne and her consort, the ram 
Dumont D'Orville. Here were seen 
a long line of American war-vessels — 
the Tennessee, the Franklin, the old 
Constitution, the fe e, which 

sunk Lhe Alabama, and nine or ten 
other men-of-war. 

The Marquis de Rochambeau, 
Commandant Lichtenstein, the repre- 
sentative of President Grevy, and 
General Boulanger of the French 
army, together with the French Min- 
ister, Outrey, and the German guests, 
the Von Steubens, all came down on 
the steamer City of Catskill. Mons. 
Edmond de Lafayette, the expected 
representative of the family of his 
grandfather, the great Marquis, was 
prevented by personal affairs, and did 
not come to the celebration ; but the 
following great-grandchildren of La- 
fayette were present : Octave de 
Pacy, Chef de Bataillon du Genie, 
Attache au Ministere de la Guerre ; 
Comte Paul de Beaumont ; Sigismond 
de Sahune, Lieut. 20th Dragons ; Gas- 






I Hi: I ENT] \M M. A\NI\ 



ton de Sahune, Sous Pre*fet de Toul ; 
and Francis de Corcelle, ScScre'taire 
d'Embassade. The Secretary of State, 
Mr. Blaine, had these guests and 
numerous invited visitors under his 
charge. The Magicienne was the first 
to fire a salute in honor of the Marquis 
de Rochambeau and the French offi- 
cials who accompanied him. " Now." 
said the Marquis, as he went on board 
the frigate, " we shall be in France 
awhile." The influence of the princi- 
ples in defence of which the American 
Revolution was fought mit have more 
power and have met fuller recogni- 
tion in France than in any other 
country in Europe. The soldiers 
who served under De Rochambeau 
and the Marquis St. Simon carried 
home ideas of human rights as yet 
unknown to the common people of 
that country. These sentiments were 
handed down from those soldiers to 
their posterity. Said De Rocham- 
beau, " I am half an American ; I was 
nourished in my childhood on the mem- 
ories of Washington and the American 
Revolution." He was a visitor at 
the centennial celebration of 1S76. 

The Monument— As we have seen, 
the first impulse of the Continental 
Congress on the reception of the news 
of the surrender of Cornwall is was to 
go as a body to the Dutch Lutheran 
Church in Philadelphia, in which city 
it was in session, and there in a pub- 
lic and formal manner render thanks 
to Almighty God, and then pass reso- 
lutions of thanks to the principal 
actors in securing the great triumph. 
It was further resolved (October 29th, 



, to have " erected at York, in 
Virginia, a marble column, adorned 
with emblems of the alliance bet* 
the United States and His Most 

Christian Majesty, and insi ribed with 
a succinct narrative; of the surrender 
of Karl Cornwallis." But this ap- 
propriate resolution could not be car- 
ried out, for want of means, and it 
was postponed to a more convenient 
season, which arrived only at the 
close of one hundred years. I )n the 
7th of June, 1880, Congress appropri- 
ated the sum of $100,000, to be ex- 
pended " under the direction of the 
Secretary of War, in erecting at York- 
town, in Virginia, the monument" 
designated by the Congress of 17S1. 

The Secretary of War appointed a 
commission of the following named 
gentlemen : J. Q. A. Ward and R. 
Hunt, of Xew York, and Henry Van 
Brunt, of Boston, to prepare a design 
for the proposed monument. They 
reported one which was adopted. 

The monument is to be composed 
of three principal parts. 

(See Illustration.*) The square Base, 
mounted on graded steps and finished at 
the top with pediments to hear the super- 
structure, is 37 feet high and 38 feet square. 
Its four sides bear the following inscriptions : 

North Side. — Erected in pursuance of a Resolution of 
.Congress adopted October 29, 1781, and an Act of Congress 
approved June 7, 1880, to Commemorate the Victory by 
which the Independence of the United Sutcs of America 
was achieved. East Side. — The Provisional Articles of 
Peace concluded November 30, 1782, and the Definitive 
Treaty of Peace concluded September 3, 1783, between the 

: States (if America and George III., King of I 
llritain and Ireland, declare : His Britannic Majesty ac- 
knowledges the ^.iid United States, vi*.: New Hampshire, 

Masaai husetta Bay, Rhode Island and Providence Planta- 
tions, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey. Pennsylvania, 
Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South 
Carolina, and Georgia, to be Free Sovereign and Indepen- 



\r\yu\y 



48 



l III. I ENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY 



,. 1781, 

■ 

ttic Line, . Militia undo 

i.il I hi 111. is N. In in, .mil ;'■ 1 

Ship* 

.t York and Gloucester, surrendered his Army. 

. I 

. ( '■.111- 

m. null r-in-. !m 1 of iIm-. America and 

cellency the Comte de Rochambeau, 

nding the auxiliary Troops of 1 1 i -, Most Chi 

Majesty in America, and to His Excellent y the Comte de 

1 Commanding-in-chief tin.- Naval Army ol I 
in Chesapeake. West Side. — The Treaty ton 

iry 6, 1778, between the United St.it • 
and Louis XVI., King of France, deel 
and direct end of the present defensive Alliance i> 1 • 
in. lint. tin effectually the Liberty, Sovereignty, and In- 

ite and unlimited, 
States, as wdl in matters of Government as of Commerce. 

In the pediments surmounting these four 
sides respectively are carved in relief, em- 
blems of nationality, war, French and Ameri- 
can alliance, and peace. 

Above this base rises a Podium, in the 
form of a cylinder or drum, 25^ feet high 
and 13 feet in diameter, encircled by thirteen 
typical female figures, hand in hand, en- 
gaged in a solemn dance, symbolizing the 
youthful group of States. On a band beneath 
their feet are carved the words, " One Coun- 
try, one Constitution, one Destiny." 

Upon this drum stands the main Column 
or shaft, composed not of a single stone but 
of three successive drums or circular courses 
of masonry, the horizontal joints at once 
masked and adorned with bands of laurel 
wreaths, and the vertical joints by a decora- 
tion of stars symmetrically disposed, break- 
ing the outline of the column. The shaft is 60 
feet high and 7^ feet in diameter at the base. 

The monument is surmounted by a grace- 
ful and dignified figure of Liberty. The site 
of the monument is at the southern end of 
the village. It stands on a bluff fifty or 
sixty feet high, and can be seen for miles, 
from both land and water. 

Laying the Corner-stone — An 

immense concourse of people had 
already assembled, so that almost 



ry section of the Union now had 
representativi int. The various 

orders, civil and military, met (Octo- 
ber i.-th) .n Lafayette Hall in the 
village, where Governor Eiolliday, of 
Virginia, gave a formal reception to 
the < rovernors of the other States who 
were present, most of whom were 
accompanied by their wives. The 
ceremonies were opened with prayer 
by the Rev. Robert Nelson, a grand- 
son of the Virginia Governor Nel- 
son, whose name is so identified 
with the siege ; who not only called 
out the Virginia militia, and c< m- 
manded them in person during the 
campaign, but who, when the can- 
nonade of Yorktown was about to 
commence, being asked where the at- 
tack would be most effective, pointed 
out a large, handsome house on a ris- 
ing ground as the probable head- 
quarters of the enemy. It was his 
own private residence. 

An admirable and patriotic ad- 
dress was made by Governor Ilolli- 
day. He gave in the name of Vir- 
ginia a cordial welcome to the na- 
tion's foreign guests, and to the offi- 
cials and others from the States and 
Territories. Governor Ilolliday's 
fine presence and clear, earnest deliv- 
ery made his address effective, and 
portions of it were enthusiastically 
applauded, especially his reference 
to past discords and present harmony 
between sections of the common coun- 
try. He said : 

" A short time ago the country was torn by 
discord, and civil war strode through the land 
with a fierceness rarely equalled. When the 
fight was over the sword was sheathed, the 



THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY 



49 



battle-flag was furled, the wrecks of dismantled 
and shattered homes were gathered up— some- 
times with tears, sometimes with ' thoughts 
too deep for tears,' traditions and associations 
that were interwoven through the governmental 
and social fabric, and, though they had caused 
dissensions on either side, were precious, were 
rolled up like a scroll and laid away forever. 
Together again, as a united people, under the 
old ensign, flaming aloft and before us like a 
star in the serene sky, we are marching to still 
grander triumphs, bearing on our Atlantean 
shoulders an enfranchised race to the blessing 
of our own civilization. In the midst of the 
fury of partisan strife, however bitter or how- 
ever honest, it has always appeared that, as we 
have loved our aims, we have loved our coun- 
try more. 

" When the hand of the assassin struck our 
President down, there was not a home or 
heart, from sea to sea, from which earnest 
prayers did not go up for his recovery. And 
when death came there was not one that was 
not draped in mourning and bowed in deepest 
sorrow. He was to have been with us to-day 
and have joined in these august ceremonies. 
It has been otherwise ordained. But his hon- 
ored successor is here, and his Cabinet, and 
the Yorktown Congressional Commission, and 
representatives of every department of the 
United States Government, and the people of 
the sister States and Territories, and citizens 
of foreign nations, to participate in the pro- 
ceedings of this historic day. Virginia gives 
them cordial welcome ! Providence decreed 
that her soil should be the scene of the last 
great act of the Revolution. Her citizens re- 
joice that they can grant it to all the States, 
and join them in building thereon a memorial 
which they trust may be as lasting as the em- 
blem it typifies, and that both may be im- 
mortal." 

After the address a procession was 
formed and moved to the site, where 
the corner-stone of the monument 
was laid in accordance with Masonic 
forms. The gavel used in the cere- 
mony was made from a portion of the 



United States frigate Lawrence, flag- 
ship of Commodore O. H. Perry, 
when he annihilated the British fleet 
(September ioth, 1813) on Lake 
Erie ; the same gavel had been used 
in laying the corner-stone of the 
monument on the Monmouth battle- 
field in New Jersey, (June, 30th, 
1878^, and of the Egyptian Obelisk in 
Central Park, New York City (Octo- 
ber 9th, iSSo). The sash and apron 
worn by the Grand Master were 
worked by Madame Lafayette and 
presented to Washington at Mount 
Vernon. Some have thought that it 
would have been more fitting if the 
ceremony of laying a corner-stone for 
a monument, designed as a memorial 
of a national event of such impor- 
tance, had been performed by the 
President of the United States. 

The Addresses — The interest in 
the ceremonies culminated on the 19th, 
the real anniversary of the surrender. 
The throng present was immense, in- 
cluding Governors of States, mayors 
of cities, prominent public men, and 
army officers. The same officials 
of the National Government and the 
foreign guests that assisted at the lay- 
ing of the corner-stone the day be- 
fore were present, besides an increas- 
ed number of other spectators. The 
proceedings passed off without a jar, 
and grave great satisfaction to the 
vast assembly. 

The ceremonies were opened with 
prayer by Bishop Harris, of New 
York ; this was followed by appropri- 
ate music, and a Centennial Hymn 
was sung. President Arthur made 



So 



THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVEI 



the following brief address, admirable 
in sentiment, and most felicitous in 

taste and Style : 

" Upon this soil one hundred years ago <>ur 
forefathers brought to a successful issue their 
heroic struggle f° r independence. Hen- and 
then was established, and as we trust made 
secure upon this continent for ages yet i" 
come, that principle of government which is 

the very fiber of our political system, the 
creignty of the people. The resentments which 

attended and for a time survived the clash 
of arms have long since ceased to animate 
our hearts. It is with no feeling of exultation 
over a defeated foe that to-day we summon up 
a remembrance of those events which have 
made holy the ground whereon we tread. 
Surely no such unworthy sentiment could find 
harbor in our hearts, so profoundly thrilled 
with expressions of sorrow and sympathy which 
our national bereavement has evolved from the 
people of England and their august sovereign ; 
but it is altogether fitting that we should gather 
here to refresh our souls with the contempla- 
tion of the unfaltering patriotism, the steady 
zeal and sublime faith, which achieved the re- 
sults we now commemorate. 

" For so, if we learn aright the lesson of the 
hour, shall we be incited to transmit to the gen- 
eration which shall follow, the precious legacy 
which our fathers left to us, the love of liberty 
protected by law. Of that historic scene which 
we here celebrate, no feature is more promi- 
nent and none more touching than the partici- 
pation of our gallant allies from across the sea. 
It was their presence which gave fresh and 
vigorous impulse to the hopes of our coun- 
trymen when well-nigh disheartened by a long 
series of disasters. It was that noble and 
generous aid, extended in the darkest period 
of the struggle, which sped the coming of our 
triumph, and made the capitulation at York- 
town possible a century ago. To their descend- 
ants and representatives who are here present 
as the honored guests of the nation it is my 
glad duty to offer cordial welcome. You have 
a right to share with us the associations which 
cluster about the day when your fathers fought 



le with OUT fathers in the cause which 

was here i rowned with sin cess, and none <<f the 
memories awakened by this anniversary are 
more grateful to us all than the teflei tion that 
the national friendships b< ment- 

rd have outlasted the mul ngeful 

century. < iod grant, my countrymen, that they 
may ever remain unshaken, and that ever hence- 
forth with ourselves and with all the nations of 
tip- earth we may be at peace." 

The President's address was listen- 
ed to without demonstration on the 

part of the audience, but at its c I 
its sentiments were enthusiastically 
applauded. 

Monsieur Max Outrey, the French 
Minister, was then introduced by 
Secretary Blaine, and addressed the 
audience in English. Speaking in 
behalf of the French delegation, he 
said : 

" Each and all of us are proud of having been 
called to the honor of representing Fiance on 
this auspicious day. The monument which is 
here to be erected will perpetuate the recollec- 
tions of an ever-faithful alliance. ... In 
coming to this Yorktown Centennial we come 
to celebrate the day which ended that long 
and bitter struggle against a great nation, 
now our mutual ally and friend, who, here as 
under all skies where her flag has floated, has 
left ineffaceable marks of her grand and civiliz- 
ing spirit. . . . When, one hundred years ago, 
as to-day, the French and the Americans grasped 
each other's hands at Yorktown, they realized 
that they had helped to lay the corner-stone of 
a great edifice. . . . France is proud of 
having contributed to found this great Repub- 
lic, and her wishes for your prosperity are deep 
and sincere. The mutual friendship is founded 
on many affinities of taste and aspirations which 
time cannot destroy, and future generations, I 
trust, will assist in this same place at the spec- 
tacle, unprecedented in history, of two great 
nations renewing from century to century a 
compact of fraternal and imperishable affec- 
tion." 



THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY 



51 



The Marquis de Rochambeau also 
made a graceful response, in French. 
Among other things, he said : 
" What our fathers did in 1781, we, 
their sons, would be willing to do to- 
day to attest our constant friendship, 
and to further show that we cherish 
the same sentiments as our fathers in 
that glorious day we celebrate." 

Colonel von Steuben made an ap- 
propriate but brief address in Ger- 
man. 

The Centennial Ode, composed by 
Paul Hayne, of South Carolina, and 
set to music by Joseph Mosenthal, of 
New York, was then sung by the cho- 
rus led by Professor Seigel, and ac- 
companied by the Marine Band. This 
was followed by a song commencing 
with " God save our President from 
harm, ' ' which was rendered admirably 
by Harrison Millard, of New York. 
After this came the event of the day, 
the scholarly oration by the Hon. 
Robert C. Winthrop, of Boston. 

The Oration — This was one of 
the most thrilling and eloquent his- 
torical orations of the period, and 
was listened to with intense interest 
by the large and unusually intelli- 
gent audience. The orator presented 
vividly the condition of the two united 
armies at the time of the campaign, 
many incidents of the siege, America's 
obligation to France, and her own 
responsibility to preserve intact the 
institutions inherited from the fathers. 

His mention of Lafayette, in connection with 
the French intervention in behalf of the Amer- 
ican colonies, was most apt. Said he : 

" Wc may not forget, indeed, that our own Franklin, the 
great Bostonian, had long been one of the American com- 



missioners in Paris, and that the fame of his genius, the 
skill and adroitness of his negotiations, and the magnet- 
ism of his personal character and presence, were no sec- 
ondary or subordinate elements in the results which were 
accomplished. 

" But signal as his services were, Franklin cannot be 
named as standing first in this connection. Nearly two 
years before his treaties were negotiated and signed, a 
step had been taken by another than Franklin, which 
led, directly and indirectly, to all that followed. The 
young Lafayette, then but nineteen years of age, a 
captain of the French dragoons stationed at Metz, at a 
dinner given by the commandant of the garrison to the 
I lake of Gloucester, a brother of George III., happened 
to hear the tidings of our Declaration of Independence, 
which had reached the Duke that very morning from 
London. It formed the subject of animated and excited 
conversation, in which the enthusiastic young soldier took 
part. And before he had left the table, an inextinguishable 
spark had been struck and kindled in his breast, and his 
whole heart was on fire in the cause of American liberty. 
Regardleis of the remonstrances of his friends, of the 
Ministry, and of the King himself, in spite of every dis- 
couragement and obstacle, he soon tears himself away 
from a young and lovely wife, leaps on board a vessel 
which he had provided for himself, braves the perils of a 
voyage across the Atlantic, then swarming with cru 
reaches Philadelphia by way of Charleston, South Caro- 
lina, and so wins at once the regard and confidence of the 
Continental Congress, by this avowed" desire to risk his 
life in our service, at his own expense, without pay or al- 
lowance of any sort, that on the 31st of July, 1777, before 
he was yet quite twenty years of age, he was commis- 
sioned a Major-General of the Army of the United States. 
It is hardly too much to say that, from that dinner at 
Metz, and that 31st day of July in Philadelphia, may be 
dated the train of influences and events which culminated, 
four years afterward, in the surrender of Cornwallis to the 
allied forces of America and France." 

The orator's description of the surrender of 
Cornwallis was a graphic and vivid picture : 

" Standing here on the very spot to-day, with the records 
of history in our hands, we require no aid of art, or even 
of imagination, to call back, in all its varied and most" im- 
pressive details, a scene which, as we dip our brush to 
paint it now, at the end of a hundred years, seems almost 
like a tale of fairy land. We see the grand French army 
drawn up for upward of a mile in battle array, ten full 
regiments, including a legion of cavalry with a corps of 
Royal Engineers — Bourbonnais and Soissonnais, Royal 
Deux-Ponts, Saintonge, and Dillon, who have come from 
Newport — with the Touraine, the Auxonne, the Agenois, 
and the Gatinois, soon to win back the name of the Royal 
Auvergne, who had just landed from the fleet. They are 
all in their unsoiled uniforms of snowy white, with their 
distinguishing collars and lapels of yellow, and violet, 
and crimson, and green, and pink, with the fleurs de lis 
proudly emblazoned on their white silk regimental stand- 
ards, with glittering stars and badges on their officers' 






I III CENTENNIAL ANNIV] RSARY 



. and with d i ""I ilvrr lai 

..is the timbrel, » iili il 
' triumph, th 
in,; ii the music of I hi ii bandi ! 

. to tli.it splendid line, wc see 
our war-worn American army the regulars, it we In. I 
tld be i ailed regula lad in 

the dear old ' Continental uniform, still ' in passable i ondi- 
tion;' i New-York brigade; .1 Maryland brigade; the 
Ivania line; the light companies made up from 
tire, Connecticut, and Massachusetts ; .1 
Island and ' battalion with two com- 

ladian volunteer* ; .1 park 
lery with sappers and miner-.; and with a 
mass of patriotic Virginian militia, collected and com- 
manded by the admirable Governor Nelson. Noi quite 

all the haps, were represented in force, .is they 

had been .it Germantown, but hardly any <»f them were 
without smile representation, individual ii not collective- 
many of them in simple homespun, every-day wear, many 
of theii ring witness to Lhe long, hard service 

they had seen — coats out at the elbow, sines out at the 
I iu some cases no coats, no shoes at all. But the 
ind Stripes, which had been raised first .it Sai 

■ •■ their heads, and im color-bli I 

on that day mistook their tints, misinterpreted their 

igs, or failed to recognize the Union they betokened 
glory they foreshadowed ! 
" Between these two lines of the allied forces, so striking- 
ly and strangely contrasted, the British army, in their 

arlet coats, freshly distributed from supplies which 
must otherwise have been delivered up as spoils to the 

. and with their Anspach, and Hessian, and ' Von 

Bi ■■" auxiliaries in blue, are now seen filing — their mus- 

kets at shoulder, 'their colors cased,' and their drums 

"a British or German march'- passing on to the 

signed them for giving up their standards and 

ling their arms, and then filing back again to their 
quarters. 

'We are here to revive no animosities resulting from the 

' the Revolution, or from any other war, remote or 

; rather to bury and drown them all, deeper than 
ever plummet sounded. Tor all that is grand and glori- 
ous in the career and example of Great Britain, certainly 

n entertain nothing but respect and admiration ; 
while I hazard little in saying that for the continued life 
and welfare of her illustrious sovereign, whom neither 
Anne nor Elizabeth will outshine in history, the American 
heart beats as warmly this day as if no Yorktown had ever 
occurred, and no independence had ever separated us from 
her imperial dominion. And we are ready to say, and do 
say, 'God save the Queen,' as sincerely and earnestly as 
she herself and la-r ministers and her people hive said 
'God save the President,' in those recent hours of his 
agony I" 

The tribute to Washington, following upon 
mention of the various prominent officers serv- 
ing in the campaign, was a noble passage, con- 
taining in brief a vast amount of history : 



" I lim- « 1 another repre entative of the Old Dominion 

be named, ; 

thai, while 
Amen ide world, \ 

him ti 

11, him whom the whole 
1 oiinti us father ! I 

him hen- at the I 

with modest but majcstii dignil whole splen- 

did s. enc of the DOW in his fiftieth 

e through anxieties and trials enough 

to have filled out the full measure ol three 
n. I hat winter at Valle e cabals of 

' \, that mutiny in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, 

i.irles Lee, the tn 
Arnold with all the distressing responsibilities in which 

it involved him — the insufficiency of his supplies of men, 
money, food, and I lothing, must have left deep ti 

his countenance as well as in his heart. But he is the 
same incomparable man as when, at only twenty-one, he 
was sent as a commissioner from Governor Dinwiddie to 
demand of the French forces their authority for invad- 
ing the king's d inions, or, as when, at twenty-three, 

he was the only mounted officer who escaped the French 
bullets at Braddock's defeat. And here he stands fore- 
most, among their dukes and marquises and counts and 
, receiving the surrender of the standards under 
which he had then fought against France, as a British 
colonial 

" From the siege of Boston, where he obtained his first 
triumph, to his crowning ■ than 

six long years — he has been one and the same ; liearing, 
beyond all others, the burden and heat of our struggle 
for independence ; advising, directing, commanding ; en- 
during deprivations and even injustices without a mur- 
mur, and witnessing the BUCcesses of others without jeal- 
ousy — while no such signal victory had yet been vouch- 
safed to his own immediate forces as could have satis- 
lied a heart ambitious only for himself. But his ambi- 
tion was only for his country, and he stands here at last, 
with representatives of all the States around him, and 
with representatives of almost all the great nati 
the world as witnesses, to receive, on the soil of disown 
native and beloved Virginia, the surpassing reward 
fortitude and patriotism. He has many great functions 
still to fulfill — in presiding over the Convention to frame 
the Constitution, and in giving practical interpretation 
and construction to that Constitution by eight years of the 
first Presidency. But with this event the first glorious 
chapter of his career is 1 losed, and he will son be found 
at Annapolis in the sublime attitude of voluntarily re- 
signing to Congress the plenary commission he had re- 
ceived from them, and retiring to private life. Virgin- 
ians! you hold his dust as the most precious possession 
of your sil, and would not let it go even to the mas- 
sive mausoleum prepared for it beneath the Capitol at 
Washington, which no other dust can ever fill. Oh, let 
his memory, his principles, his example, be ever as sacred- 
lv and jealously guarded in your hearts! No 
Washington will ever be yours, or ever be ours. Of no 
one but him could it have been justly said . 



THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY 



53 



All discord ceases at his name, 

All ranks contend to swell his fame." 

A glowing tribute to Lafayette, a hearty 
acknowledgment of America's debt to France, 
and welcome to her representatives, were fol- 
lowed by a consideration of the responsibilities 
devolving upon the Americans of to-day : 

" It is not what we have been, or what we have done, or 
even what we are, that weighs on our thoughts at this 
hour, even to the point of oppressiveness ; but what, 
what are we to be? What is to be the character of a 
second century of independence for America ? What are 
to be its issues for ourselves ? What are to be its influ- 
ences on mankind at large ? And what can we do to secure 
these glorious institutions of ours from decline and fall, 
that other generations may enjoy what we now enjoy, and 
that our liberty may indeed be ' a liberty to that only 
which is good, just and honest ' — a ' liberty enlightening 
the world ' ? . . . I must be pardoned as one of a past 
generation, for dealing with old-fashioned counsels in old- 
fashioned phrases. Profound dissertations on the nature 
of government, metaphysical speculations on the true 
theory of civil liberty, scientific dissections of the machin- 
ery of our own political system — even were I capable of 
them — would be as inappropriate as they would be worth- 
less. Our reliance for the preservation of republican liber- 
ty can only be on the commonplace principles and com- 
mon-sense maxims which lie within the comprehension 
of the children in our schools, or of the simplest and least 
cultured man or woman who wields a hammer or who plies 
a needle. 

" The fear of the Lord must still and ever be the be- 
ginning of our wisdom, and obedience to His command- 
ments the rule of our lives. Crime must not go unpun- 
ished, and vice must be stigmatized and rebuked as vice. 
Human life must be held sacred, and lawless violence and 
bloodshed cease to be regarded as a redress or remedy for 
anything. . . . The rights of the humblest, as well as 
of the highest, must be respected and enforced. Labor in 
all its departments must be justly remunerated and elevat- 
ed, and the true dignity of labor recognized. The poor 
must be wisely visited and liberally cared for, so that men- 
dicity shall not be tempted into mendacity, nor want ex- 
asperated into crime. The great duties of individual 
citizenship must be conscientiously discharged. Peace, or- 
der, and the good old virtues of honesty, charity, temper- 
ance, and industry, must be cultivated and reverenced. 
The purity of private life must be cherished and guarded, 
and luxury and extravagance discouraged. Polygamy 
must cease to pollute our land. Profligate literature must 
be scorned and left unpurchased. Public opinion must be 
refined, purified, strengthened, and rendered prevailing 
and imperative, by the best thoughts and best words which 
the press, the platform, and the pulpit can pour forth. 
The pen and the tongue alike must be exercised under a 
sense of moral responsibility. In a word, the less of govern- 
ment we have by formal laws and statutes, the more we 
need, and the more we must have of individual self-gov- 
ernment. . . . 



On the topic of Universal Education, the 
orator was very pronounced and outspoken, 
especially in regard to the necessity and duty 
of providing for the elevation of the masses of 
ignorant voters in the Southern States. He 
said : 



" But let me add at once that, with a view to all 
these ends, and as the indispensable means of promoting 
and securing them all, universal education, without dis- 
tinction of race, must be encouraged, aided, and enforced. 
The elective franchise can never be taken away from any 
of those to whom it has once been granted, but we can 
and must make education coextensive with the elective 
franchise ; and it must be done without delay, as a meas- 
ure of self-defence, and with the general co-operation of 
the authorities and of the people of the whole country. 
One half of our country, during the last ten or fifteen 
years, has been opened for the first time to the introduc- 
tion and establishment of free common schools, and there 
is not wealth enough at present in that region to provide 
for this great necessity. ' Two millions of children with- 
out the means of instruction,' was the estimate of the late 
Dr. Sears, in 1879. Every year brings another instalment 
of brutal ignorance to the polls, to be the subject of cajole- 
ment, deception, corruption, or intimidation. Here, here, 
is our greatest danger for the future. The words of our 
late lamented President, in his inaugural, come to us to- 
day with redoubled emphasis from that unclosed grave on 
the lake : ' All the constitutional power of the nation 
and of the States, and all the volunteer forces of the peo- 
ple, should be summoned to meet this danger by the sav- 
ing influence of universal education." . . Slavery is 
but half abolished, emancipation is but half completed, 
while millions of freemen with votes in their hands are 
left without education. Justice to them, the welfare of 
the States in which they live, the safety of the whole Re- 
public, the dignity of the elective franchise, alike demand 
that the still remaining bonds of ignorance shall be un- 
loosed and broken and the minds as well as the bodies of 
the emancipated go free-! 

****** 

" It is itself one of the great rights of a free people to 
be educated and trained up from childhood to that ability 
to govern themselves, which is the largest element in 
republican self-government, and without which all self- 
government must be a failure and a farce, here and every- 
where ! Free governments must stand or fall with free 
schools. Tell me not that I am indulging in truisms. I 
know they are truisms; but they are better— a thousand- 
fold better— than Nihilism or Communism, or Fenianism, 
or any of the other isms which are making such headway 
in supplanting them. No advanced thought, no mystical 
philosophy, no glittering abstractions, no swelling phrases 
about freedom— not even science, with all its marvellous 
invention., and discoveries— can help us much in sustain- 
ing this Republic. Still less can any godless theories of 
creation, or any infidel attempts to rule out the Redeemer 
from his rightful supremacy in our hearts, afford us any 
hope of security. That way lies despair ! Commonplace 



54 



1 ill. I EN I ENNIAL ANNIV1 RSARY 



old familiar teaching*, the Ten Commandment*, the 

■ ■ 
ton, honesty, virtui 

wh.it i . . .iinl our OU n |i ill 

ui the world as nui h as any other part. Without th 

t. With these, and with tl f God, which 

our Republic 

may ■ d those who 

I, .i hundred . shall 

ire now exulting, in the continu 

joyment of the free institution-, bequeathed to us by our 

. and in honoring the memories "t th 
ted them." 

These and many other topics were illustrated 
and enforced with rare eloquence. The final 
appeal was for a union of sentiment and action 
in upholding and advancing America's free in- 
stitutions : 

" We arc one by the configuration of nature, ami by the 
impress of art— inextricably intertwined by the lay 
of our l;.nd, the run of our rivers, the chain of our lakes, 
and the iron network of our crossing and rccrossini; and 
ever-multiplying and still-advancing tracks of trade and 
travel. We are one by the memories of our fathers. We are 
one by the hopes of our children. We are one by a Consti- 
tution and a L'nion which have not only survived the shock 
of foreign and civil war, but have stood the abeyance of 
almost all administration, while the whole people were 
waiting breathless, in alternate hope and fear, for tin- is- 
sues of an execrable crime. We are one — bound together 
afresh — by the electric chords of sympathy and sorrow, 
vibrating and thrilling day by day of the livelong siim- 
nur, through every one of our heart-., for our basely wound- 
ed and bravely suffering President, bringing us all down 
on our knees together in common supplications for his life, 
and involving us all at last in a common flood of grief at 
his death. I dare not linger, amid scenes like these, on 
that great affliction, which has added indeed 'another 
hallowed name to the historical inheritance of our Repub- 
lic,' but which has thrown a pall of deepest tragedy upon 
the falling curtain of our first century. Oh, let not its in- 
fluences be lost upon us for the century to come, but let 
ne, henceforth and always, in mutual regard, con- 
ciliation, and affection. 

" ' Go on, hand in hand, O States, never to be disunited ! 
Be the praise and the heroic song of all posterity ! Join 
your invincible might to do worthy and godlike deeds ! 
And then — ' but I will not add as John Milton added, 
in closing his inimitable appeal on reformation in Eng- 
1 in. I, two centuries and a half ago — 'a cleaving curse be 
his inheritance to all generations, who seeks to break 
your Union ! ' No anathemas shall escape my lips on 
■i picious day. Let me rather invoke, as 1 devoutly 
and fervently do, the choicest and richest blessings of 
Heaven on those who shall do most, in all time to come, 
to preserve our beloved country in unity, peace, and con- 
cord."* 

* This noble address has been announced for pub- 
lication entire by Messrs. Little, Brown & Co., of Boston. 



Tin Parade, thi Review, and 
Sali ii. — On Thursday, the 20th, was 
.1 parade of the < itizen soldiery, a < on- 
siderable detachment of regulars, and 
regiments from different sei tionsof the 
old Thirteen States — the number of 
men being nearly ten thousand. The 
review was witnessed by the Presi- 
dent and a portion of the Cabinet, 
the French and German guests, and 
many distinguished men of the na- 
tion. After Mr. Winthrop's oration 
the previous day, Secretary Blaine 
read an order from President Arthur, 
enjoining that the British flag be 
saluted at the close of the ceremoi. 
This announcement was enthusiasti- 
cally cheered, and the order was after- 
ward received with marked approba- 
tion throughout the country ; it was 
an evidence that the mother and 
daughter, though long reconciled, 
have now entered upon an era in 
which they will be bound by ties of 
affection still stronger. After the mil- 
itary parade was held, a naval review 
took place, at the close of which the 
British flag was run up on the French 
and American men-of-war and form- 
ally saluted. This was the closing 
act of a series of celebrations of a 
most important event in our national 
history. 

No one could fail to notice the deep 
religious tone that pervaded the pub- 
lic exercises during these celebra- 
tions ; the influence of the recent 
tragic loss of the nation's Chief 
Magistrate had evidently softened 
the minds of men and turned their 
thoughts to an overruling Provi- 
dence. 



THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY 



55 



An Englishman's View of the 
Celebration — A dispatch in the 
New York Tribune of October 20th, 
1881, gave the following admirable 
account of the whole " occasion," 
which both from its graphic depiction 
of the scene and its complimentary 
view of even the infelicities of this 
American celebration, on the part of 
an Englishman trained to observe 
and describe events in all parts of the 
world, will be interesting to read and 
preserve : 

Yorktown, Oct. 19. — After the ceremonies 
of the day were over, the Tribune correspond- 
ent asked Mr. Archibald Forbes, the distin- 
guished English journalist, who had offered in 
a spirit of friendly comradeship to help with 
the work of writing, to give his impressions as 
an Englishman of the exercises and the audi- 
ence. He wrote a few pages, but with a pro- 
test against having his name attached to them. 
The liberty is taken of disregarding his modest 
request. He was the only well-known subject 
of Queen Victoria on the ground, and it is ob- 
vious that the American public will be glad 
to hear from him directly and immediately, in- 
stead of later through the medium of the Lon- 
don press. Mr. Forbes wrote : 

" To the outsider, it seemed that there were no pre-ar- 
rangements at all. One conversant through dire experience 
with the confusion and chaos that so commonly follows on 
an absence of settled plan, could scarcely avoid the appre- 
hension that mischief would come of the indefiniteness 
that circumstances had brought about in the details of the 
arrange nents ; but there was no mischief, not even the 
hitch of a moment. The all-prevalent determination that 
the occasion should be successful confused every obstacle. 
Instead of crowding, jostling, and selfishness, the features 
of the throng were orderliness, courtesy, and self-abnega- 
tion. Simplicity reigned, but it was the simplicity of self- 
respect and consideration for others ; not the crudeness 
which provokes a smile. In the massing of the crowd 
around the rostrum from which the addresses were made, 
there was absolutely no attempt whatever made in the di- 
rection of assigning seats. The area of chairs was a free 
country. There was no respect of persons, further than 
that the foreign guests had places in the vicinity of the 
President and the officials of state. Yet as the informal 
procession from the Lafayette Hall tramped on through 



the sand toward the auditorium, its head unmarshaled, its 
track unguarded even by a single policeman, there was not 
the faintest semblance of an ' ugly mob.' For ladies there 
was the first thought ; the next was for the guests. They 
accommodated then every man in a quiet, business-like 
fashion, and he did the best he could for himself as re- 
gards finding a location. It was the most democratic of 
assemblages and the best conducted, imperceptibly, with 
no bustle, no thrusting, no snapping of advantages. The 
great area became filled by a dense mass of humanity. Of 
ceremonial, in the old-world sense, there was nothing at all. 

" The President stepped into his place, helped on to the 
platform by a quaint old Virginian farmer who happened to 
be leaning against one of its supports. A little lady who had 
quietly wriggled to the front affably leaned on the back of 
the chair occupied by Colonel von Steuben and clapped 
her hands at Mr. Winthrop's good things in immediate 
proximity to the gallant German's ear. A corporal of 
foot rubbed shoulders with the General of the Army ; a 
contented citizen in a blue suit appeared nowise discom- 
posed to find himself incorporated bodily into the brilliant 
staff of the Governor of Maine. Perhaps the decorum of 
the throng was equalled by its evident intelligence. To 
the very end of Mr. Winthrop's prolonged oration all 
around the fringes of the audience were to be observed 
people with their hands at their ears, jealous lest a word 
should escape them. No point made by the speaker was 
missed or failed to obtain its fullest meed of appreciation. 
During Mr. Winthrop's fervent and eloquent peroration 
the intentness of attention on the orator's words was so 
close that you might have heard a pin drop. The peo- 
ple had come to listen, and they listened with all their 
force. Swiftly and inexorably falls the thunderbolt of 
outraged public opinion on the one man in all the throng 
who thought fit to misconduct himself. He stood on a 
chair in the background, and he interjected interruptions 
of a character at first irrelevant and presently insolent. 
He was tolerated the first time and the second lime. The 
third time he got a stern warning, which he disregarded, 
with the consequence that two strong men caught him up 
and simply threw him away outside the bounds. 

" To speak of England on such a day was a matter of 
no little delicacy. It was not that there was any danger 
she should be hardly spoken of. That, never very likely 
from American lips, was less likely than ever just now. 
But there was some fear lest in such a connection expres- 
sions of good-will with England might have a certain tone 
of gaucherie. The man with a memory of defeats finds it 
not easy to smile under the patronizing compliments of 
the man self-complacent in the memory of success. But 
to-day afforded a fresh proof that a warm heart is the 
truest guide to good taste. It was impossible that there 
should be any arriire pensee for the Englishmen who 
listened to the hearty and unaffected expressions of loving 
good-will for ' Old Mother England,' as Mr. Winthrop 
phrased it, that came warm from the lips of every speaker 
to be caught up and responded to by the audience with a 
fervor that was clearly genuine as it was stentorian. 
President Arthur gave the keynote at the very commence- 
ment of the singularly graceful and tactful observations 
in which he inaugurated the proceedings. The French 



56 



1 III I INI IN MA I. ANNI\ I I 



.1 con- 
-.,,„. .,,,,1 ii : | order > ommanding thai 

kindly in ii-- ipirii than ii 
' ni ii . wordin I' 16; Mi I 

i ■•in u nli emotii ii, it it u.i . ini 
; i .i violin ..f enthusiasm that told how 
■ • it was t.. tli'ir sympathies. It 
id it ii.. official British person was )■• vcyto 

■ .i th.- warmth evoked by the 

I pliments, and c:>pcti.illy by ilio 

mention "t Her Majesty's own name." 

Tin- Nation's Guests— After the 

close "t the Yorktown celebration the 
French and German quests were feted 
and honored with special greetings, 
entertainments, and rejoicing, in 
various parts <>i' the country. Wash 
ington, Philadelphia, New York with 
its West Point and Niagara, Rhode 
Island to express its special gratitude 
to the descendants of the French who 
so long defended their waters and 
their territory, Boston for Massachu- 
setts, and, particularly for the German 
guests, the great West — all held out 
welcoming hands. The guests trav- 
eled about, and on every side were 
the recipients of cordial demonstra- 
tions of welcome, which they seemed 
to appreciate and enjoy. 

The names of the French descend- 
ants of Lafayette who were present 
have been given above. In respect to 
some of the other French officers who 
were with Washington at Yorktown, a 
word may be said. Descendants of 
I )c ( irasse are to be found in several 
New York families at the present 
day. The Marquis de St. Simon 
has no male descendants, and the 
family 1 )e Barras has become extinct. 

As to the Germans, the Steuben 
family are military in their tastes. 
Colonel Arndt von Steuben, of the 



Prussian army, the senior member of 

the German delegation to the York- 
town celebration, is a grand nephew 
of Baron von Steuben. The Colonel's 

three sous — all lieutenants — ami his 

three cousins composed the remainder 

of tin; delegation. These all hold 
commissions in the Prussian army, 
and had leave from their Govern- 
ment to attend the Yorktown Cen- 
tennial. 

The German guests were feted 
more extensively than the French, be- 
cause so many hundreds of thousands 
of Germans and their descendants are 
now in the United States, so that an 
unusual interest was felt by these cit- 
izens to entertain the representatives 
from their Fatherland. As soon as 
the exercises at Yorktown were closed, 
they commenced to fulfil the many 
engagements they had made in ac- 
cepting invitations from both Ger- 
mans and Americans in the great 
cities of the West. Their numerous 
countrymen living in that portion of 
the Union were specially urgent, and 
the Von Steubens visited these cities 
in turn, everywhere receiving the 
most cordial hospitalities. They ex- 
pressed themselves much gratified by 
the reception they received, and their 
surprise at the progress and thrift of 
their countrymen who have found a 
home among us. When about to re- 
turn home the younger members of 
the delegation paid a formal visit of 
respect to the grave of the Baron their 
ancestor. A committee of citizens of 
Utica received them at that city, and 
courteously escorted them on a spe- 
cial train to the grave. 



LAFAYETTE AND STEUBEN 



sr 



The closing one of these centennial the State, Mr. Cornell, and the corn- 
festivities in honor of the nation's mittee doing the honors of the occa- 
guests was under the auspices of the sion. Other officials, State and mu- 
State Reception Committee, given in nicipal, were present, and' also a large 
the city of New York on the evening number of ladies and prominent citi- 
of November 7th. All the foreign zens of the State and city, 
guests were present, the Governor of 



LAFAYETTE AND STEUBEN 

To no one of the generous foreigners who aided our fathers in their strug- 
gle for independence have the hearts of the American people gone out with 
so much affection as to Lafayette ; and Steuben holds the next place in their 
grateful estimation. For this reason there is a propriety in noticing some- 
what at length their characters and the motives which dictated their actions, 
lest we of this day forget what they did for our fathers in those days of trial. 



LAFAYETTE. 

Most of the other French officers who 
fought for American liberty came either as 
roving soldiers in search of adventure and 
temporary employment, or because they 
were sent and merely obeyed orders ; but 
the Marquis de Lafayette came of his own 
accord, and from a deep love of liberty and 
sympathy with the struggling patriots ; 
and through his influence, more than that 
of any other public man, was the French 
Government induced to aid the cause. 
He was far in advance of other intelligent 
Frenchmen in his appreciation of the ele- 
ments of true political liberty. The senti- 
ment was to him at first more the outgrowth 
of a generous and enthusiastic nature than 
the result of abstract study. Human lib- 
erty was not a theme treated of in the books 
or speeches of that day in France ; he 
seems, therefore, not to have been aware 
of the principles actuating the colonists, 
nor indeed of the contest then going on in 
America, till it was unexpectedly brought to 
his notice at the Mentz dinner to the Eng- 



lish Duke of Gloucester (as related above in 
the extract from Mr. Winthrop's oration). 
The Duke seems to have gone into the sub- 
ject fully, explaining the grounds upon which 
the colonists had justified themselves in 
resisting the enforcement of certain acts of 
Parliament, and making note of the fact that 
they had had the audacity to strive for lib- 
erty as a people, and gone so far, some six 
months before, as to proclaim themselves 
independent of England, and even called 
upon the governments of Europe to rec- 
ognize them as an independent nation. He 
explained in what manner these rebels were 
aiming at a wider range of self-government 
than had ever been known to Englishmen. 

The story apparently made little impres- 
sion upon the other officers, but the young 
and enthusiastic Lafayette exclaimed, " Now 
I see a chance for usefulness which I had 
not anticipated. I have money ; I will 
purchase a ship, which will convey to 
America myself, my companions, and the 
freight for Congress." Though happy in 
his married relations, he did not hesitate 



58 



LAFAYETTE AND STEUBEN 



to leave home and expose his life in this 

cause, so new in the world's history. The 
struggle in many respects was unique, and 
ette was scon able to appreciate what 
it stake, and the motives of the Amer- 
ican patriots ; his wife meanwhile sympa- 
thized with him in his enthusiasm. 

The French Government, in spite of its 
sympathies, was not then prepared to take 
an open stand on this subject ; the author- 
ities Imped that the rebellious colonists 
would succeed in maintaining their pro- 
claimed independence, and thus humble 
and cripple the great rival of F ranee : for it 
was only about fifteen years since the dream 
French empire in North America had 
vanished, when the lilies of France were 
Supplanted by the banner of St. George, and 
all Canada was given to England by the 
Treaty of Paris (1763). But their diplo- 
matic relations made any overt aid very 
difficult, and they seemed even to oppose 
Lafayette's private enterprise. He found 
difficulty in eluding his own government (it 
issued orders for his arrest) and in deceiv- 
ing the spies of England, who swarmed in 
Paris. But he purchased a ship, which Mr. 
Silas Deane, United States Commissioner 
to France, managed to have laden with 
needed supplies for Washington's army. 
Lafayette stepped aboard, and was soon 
under way, accompanied by eleven officers, 
among whom the most prominent for mili- 
tary skill was the veteran Baron de Kalb, 
who afterward laid down his life at the battle 
of Camden (August 16th, 1780). 

Lafayette landed on the coast of South 
Carolina at Winyaw Bay, at the mouth of 
the Pedee (June 14th, 1777); then found 
his way to Charleston, and thence to Phil- 
adelphia, where Congress was in session. 
He had come as a volunteer from love of 
the cause, and refused all pay ; his whole 
life afterward was consistent with that dis- 
interested sentiment. His candor and zeal 
won all hearts. Congress commissioned 
him a major-general, but without special 



command (July 31st, 17771. and he then 
joined Washington, who received him into 

his military family. The story of his mil- 
itary life during the remaining four j 
of the Revolution is familiar, or ought to 
be. 10 every American. We cannot go into 
detail in this brief monograph. 

Lafayette, near the close of 1779, ran the 
gauntlet of British 1 misers, and vi 
France. Then itiated for arms and 

military supplies and clothing for out sol- 
diers. For months he was active and in- 
defatigable in his efforts — " instant in sea- 
son and out of season" — besieging the 
French king, his ministers, and all who 
were in authority to take a stand, openly 
espouse the American cause, and send 
reinforcements to the struggling revolu- 
tionists. At last his persevering efforts 
W( re successful, and hastening back to 
America he arrived in March the following 
year with the cheering news that a land 
force was to be sent from France, and also 
a fleet, which was expected to sail soon. 
Their coming and the story of their doings 
are matters not to be further entered upon 
here, but they found their consummation in 
that glorious ending of the war, the surren- 
der of Cornwallis. 

After that event, as there were no active 
operations, nor likely to be, Lafayette for 
the second time visited France and his fam- 
ily. During this visit he was unwearied in 
his efforts to promote the interests of the 
United States. One year after the conclu- 
sion of peace between England and her 
lately rebellious colonies 1 1784), he returned 
to America, " once more," as he termed it, 
" to see his father" — for thus he was wont 
to speak of Washington. During this stay- 
he traveled somewhat through the country. 

Five years afterward ( 1789) the French 
Revolution burst upon Europe ; this was 
about three months after Washington's first 
inauguration as President of the United 
States. Lafayette of course favored the 
liberal cause. The people of Paris rose in 



LAFAYETTE AND STEUBEN 



59 



their majesty and razed to its foundation 
the Bastile, in whose dungeons the French 
king was accustomed to immure political 
prisoners and keep them for years without 
redress. The key of the Bastile was handed 
to Lafayette, who sent it to Washington, 
and to-day it is among the relics at Mount 
Vernon. Lafayette's history during these 
days of terror and of war is full of romance. 
After a time the people of Paris, suspicious 
of those who would not countenance their 
excesses, forced him, their best friend, to 
flee for his life. Intending to come to the 
United States, he passed over into Luxem- 
bourg, which was neutral territory, and 
there he was seized, contrary to the laws of 
nations, by an Austrian force, and handed 
over to the King of Prussia, who confined 
him in prison for a year ; then he was deliv- 
ered to the Austrian Government, which 
held him a prisoner for four years longer 
in the dungeons of Olmutz. While he was 
thus incarcerated, a bold but unsuccessful 
attempt was made to release him by Fran- 
cis K. Huger, a young man of South Caro- 
lina whose father was the first tu welcome 
Lafayette at Charleston in 1777. When 
Bonaparte came into power he demanded 
from the Austrian Government, and ob- 
tained, by the treaty of Campo Formio 
(1797), the release of the distinguished pris- 
oner. Lafayette never failed to aid his 
country to the best of his ability, but after 
his release he was powerless for her good 
during seventeen years ; then he was elected 
and served as a member of the Assembly 
that voted for the downfall of the empire 
under Napoleon (1814). Afterward, at dif- 
ferent times, he served in the Chamber of 
Deputies for nine years, and was always the 
friend of progress and of the people. 

Just forty years after his visiting the 
country to see Washington, he returned to 
the United States, the guest of the nation, 
landing in New York August 15th, 1824. 
He had been invited unanimously by a vote 
of Congress ; however, he declined to come 



in the national vessel proffered him, but took 
passage on board a merchant ship. He was 
accompanied by his son, George Washington 
Lafayette, who when a youth spent three 
years at Mount Vernon, the guest cf his 
godfather Washington. Lafayette's recep- 
tion was most cordial. No Roman consul's 
triumph, however magnificent, compared 
with the ovation which the now venerable 
benefactor of this country received from 
the people. How many public men have 
died vainly hoping to be remembered ! Yet 
here, more than a generation had passed, 
and it fell to the lot of Lafayette to receive 
in person expressions of gratitude offered 
by a second generation. He had the best 
evidence that he was remembered by pos- 
terity. 

The spontaneous outburst of a nation's 
affection that manifested itself was truly 
marvelous. His name and what he had 
done had been handed down by tradition, 
and his memory was cherished in every 
household. The authorities of each State, 
with committees of its prominent citizens 
meeting him at their own boundary, escorted 
him to the adjoining one, to be received in 
a manner equally imposing ; so that his tour 
through the States was one continual pro- 
cession ; sometimes the cavalcade was nearly 
half a mile long. The writer, then a boy, 
well remembers being taken by his father a 
drive of several miles to see the passing of 
Lafayette. It must be borne in mind that 
in that day we had no railways, and travel- 
ing was performed on horseback or in car- 
riages ; the public conveyances were lum- 
bering coaches, to accommodate the com- 
paratively few who traveled for business, 
and for pleasure scarcely any. The days 
were named in advance on which Lafayette 
would be at certain points, and there the 
people would assemble from the country 
round about ; volunteer companies often 
came fifteen or twenty miles to give him a 
military salute ; within the States nearly 
all the gentlemen, especially along the route, 



6o 



l \]\\ l I l E AND STEUBEN 



turned out on horseback t<> aci ompany him 
through their respective counties, while the 
State authorities and committee went with 
him to the boundary. This demonstration 
: ir more imposing than if he had been 
borne through the land ona railway train of 
the present time, for, in consequence of the 
slower progress, :i far greater number had 
the privilege of paying him their respects. 
Lafayette, his son, and one or two of the 
( ommittee, rode in a carriage beautifully 
decorated, and drawn by six horses richly 
caparisoned. 

While here on this his last visit Lafayette 
laid the corner-stone of Bunker Hill Monu- 
ment ; visited the battle-field of Yorktown 
and the tomb of Washington ; then the 
aged patriot and philanthropist turned 
toward home, when the President of the 
United States — John Quincy Adams — 
ordered a new frigate, about to sail on her 
first voyage, to convey him to France 
(1825). The President named the frigate 
Brandywine — a delicate compliment, as on 
the banks of that little stream Lafayette 
had been wounded in the service of the 
people who loved him so well. 

Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert 
du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, was de- 
scended from a noble family, tracing its an- 
cestry back to the fourteenth century. He 
was born on September 6th, 1757, atChava- 
niac, Auvergne. He had three children — 
two daughters and a son. The younger 
daughter was named Virginie, in memory 
of that American State in which he was for 
a time in military command ; and the son, 
George Washington. Thelatter's son, Ed- 
mond, is now the only descendant in the male 
line to represent the family ; he is unmarried, 
and about sixty-four years of age. M. Ed- 
mond was invited to attend the centennial 
celebration at Yorktown, but for private 
reasons was unable to accept the invita- 
tion. He is Senator of Haute-Loire and 
President of the Council-General of that de- 
partment. 



'. II it; 
With the exception of Lafayette, no one of 
those win) aided our fathers in the Revolution 

did personally as much service as the I'.aron 

von Steuben. When he arrived at Valley 

Forge in the winter of f 777 -S. the Ami 
army was in a sad condition in man. 
spects. At that time the soldiers had not 
been scientifically drilled or disciplined. The 
Baron introduced the system of drill used by 
Frederick the Great, which, as far as he 
was aide, he taught the American soldiers. 
According to Kapp, in his life of Steuben, 
the latter was induced to come to America 
by the French Government. He was in 
Paris on leave from the Prussian army, and 
thought of paying a visit to England, when 
he was sent for by Count St. Germain, the 
Minister of War, who proposed that the 
Baron should go to the United States. The 
Count explained the great defects of military 
discipline and scientific knowledge of the 
subject in the American army, and some 
remedy for these defects St. Germain deem- 
ed very important to the cause of the colo- 
nies, reminding the Baron that here was 
a field of great usefulness and of glory 
for any one who could accomplish the de- 
sired result of disciplining the American 
army. Steuben, after much persuasion, 
agreed to enter upon the cause, but only as 
a volunteer, for lie hail heard, and St. Ger- 
main confirmed the report, that the Ameri- 
can officers disliked to serve under inefficient 
foreigners placed in positions of responsi- 
bility. St. Germain stated, in effect, that 
many of the European officers in the Ameri- 
can service were incompetent, and that they 
only wanted promotion and pay, and there- 
fore this prejudice had not grown up with- 
out reason. Mr. Silas Deane, who was then 
in France as Commissioner for the United 
States, seems to have sent over nearly all 
the officers that applied to him, without 
reference to their qualifications. The French 
Government virtually made itself responsible 
for the Baron's traveling and other ex- 



LAFAYETTE AND STEUBEN 



6l 



penses. Under these circumstances he was 
induced to come, and when he had once en- 
tered upon his duties he was untiring in 
their performance to the close of the war. 
His position was that of Inspector-General, 
with the rank of major-general, according 
to the assignment of Washington himself, 
who accepted his services with marked cor- 
diality. The value of his services was ad- 
mirably set forth in Secretary Blaine's letter 
of invitation to Steuben's family represent- 
atives to attend the Yorktown celebration : 

" A detailed history of his military career in 
America would form an epitome of the Revo- 
lutionary struggle. He had served in the Seven 
Years' War on the staff of the great Frederick, 
and had acquired in the campaigns of that mas- 
ter of military science the skill and the experi- 
ence so much needed by the untrained soldiers 
of the Continental Army. The drill and dis- 
cipline and effective organization, which under 
the commanding patronage of Washington 
were at once imparted to the American Army 
by the zeal and diligence of Steuben, trans- 
formed the volunteers and raw levies into vet- 
erans who successfully met the British regulars 
in all the campaigns of the prolonged struggle. 
The final surrender of the British army under 
Lord Cornwallis occurred at Yorktown, Va., 
on the 19th day of October, 1781. Baron Steu- 
ben bore a most conspicuous part in the ardu- 
ous campaign which ended so auspiciously for 
the Continental Army, and it fell to his lot to 
receive the first official notification of the pro- 
posed capitulation, and to bear it to the illus- 
trious commander-in-chief." 

At the conclusion of peace and the dis- 
bandment of the army, Baron von Steuben 
cast in his lot with the American people, mak- 
ing his home in the State of New York. He 
planned the fortifications for New York 
City, in consideration of which service the 
State presented him, in 1786, with 16,000 
acres of forest land in Oneida County, 
known to-day as Steuben township ; this 
district lies a score or more miles north of 
the city of Utica. He took an ardent in- 
terest in the welfare of his adopted country, 



and is said to have been the first to suggest 
the establishment of a military academy. 
He was equally an advocate of general ed- 
ucation, and as such was one of the origi- 
nators of Hamilton College, Clinton, N. Y. 

Baron von Steuben retired from the city 
in 1789, and built a log cabin upon his land. 
He was unmarried, and left no descendants. 
With a few male servants he lived at his 
home in a comparative wilderness till his 
death, which occurred November 28th, 1794. 
A short time before that event he himself 
marked out a favorite spot in the midst of 
the primitive forest, where he directed in his 
will that his remains should be buried, and 
in the same instrument he forbade the forest 
immediately around his grave ever being re- 
moved. His wishes were complied "with, 
and there he lay in that lonely place, almost 
forgotten, for more than three fourths of a 
century. Meanwhile thousands upon thou- 
sands of his countrymen had made this land 
their home, and, as if by association with 
them, the Baron's memory was revived in 
the place of his death, and Americans and 
Germans joined heartily in doing him honor ; 
so that now a fine granite monument marks 
the spot where he lies, amid the clump of 
trees which thus far have been sacredly 
preserved. The corner-stone of the monu- 
ment was laid (1870) with appropriate cere- 
monies, while addresses were made doing 
ample justice to the virtues of the hero. 
The Baron has been remembered in many 
instances, his name having been given to 
counties and towns. The most important 
of the latter is Steubenville, on the Ohio, a 
village that has been for nearly half a cen- 
tury the foremost in that part of the country 
in promoting the education of young women. 

It will be an appropriate close of this brief 
memorial of men and events so important in 
their relations to American history, to quote 
a portion of the last official letter written 
by General Washington as Commander-in- 
chief of the army. It was written under 
date of Annapolis, Dec. 23, 1783, and ad- 



»2 



I \i IYE I I I wi> SI EUBEN 



dressed to the Baron von Steuben, it was 
honorable .ilikc- tu us worthy recipient and to 
the great souled chief, who, himself the main 
source oi su< cess in the struggle for freedom, 
forward to acknowledge the debt he 
owed to his efficient lieutenants and com- 
panions-in-arms : 

" My Di • Although I have taken 

frequent opportunities, both in public and in 
private, of acknowledging your great zeal, at- 
tention, and abilities, in performing the duties 
of your office, yet I wish to make use of this 



but moment of my public life to signify, in the 

stroii. my entire approbation of your 

ii t, and (" the obliga- 

tions the publh is under to you, for youi laith- 
ful ami meritorious services. . . This is the 
last letter I »hall write while I conUnue in the 
service of mj country. The houi of my i 
nation is fixed at twelve to-day, alter which I 
shall become a private citizen on the batiks of 
the. Potomac, where I shall be glad 10 em- 
brace you and testify the (jn >at esti em and con- 
sideration with which I am, my dear Uaron, etc., 
" George Washington." 



jgr-Below are given some critical opinions concerning Prof. Pation s United States History 
On the 4tii page of cover the peculiar features of the book are set forth. 



PATTON'S 

. Concise History of tie American People. 



T- 



o 



s. 



w 

H 



o 

3 
< 

Id 
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Si 

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Comprehensive <t* Compact. 

"This book is a mirvel of con- 
ciseness. From preface to index, 
everything in the volume speaks of 
systematic and laborious concentra- 
tration. The facts of American his- 
tory have been subjected, seemingly, 
to some rare power of condensation, 
and, as here presented, are truly a 
sort of double extract of history. It 
is brevity itself. All that is needed is 
to be found in it and nothing super- 
fluous has been admitted. That 
which meets the reader's eye is the 
sum of the whole matter." — Boston 
Post. 

" An admirable condensation of 
the leading events of American his- 
tory. In one volume we have a 
concise recapitulation of every prom- 
inent occurrence which deserves re- 
cording. Important facts are not 
lightly passed over, but abridgment 
has been the author's aim, and he 
has succeeded well in writing a suffi- 
ciently comprehensive review of our 
country's history. His style is ani- 
mated and chaste." — Boston Satur- 
day Evening Gazette. 

"A very satisfactory account of 
the history of the country from its 
first discovery ; not so full as to be 
unmanageable from its numerous de- 
tails, nor so short as to be merely a 
dry detail of facts and dates." — 
Cleveland Herald. 

" Our wonder is that so much of 
American history could be comprised 
in one octavo vclame ; at the same 
time, it is very graphically written, 
in a clear unostentatious style ; our 
frequent use of it convinces us of its 
great accuracy." — A'. Y. Observer. 

" The style is clear and simple, and 
the author does not fail to be com- 
prehensive and thorough in the 
attempt to be succinct. It is an ex- 
cellent history by which to form the 
minds of youth to an intelligent ap- 
preciation of liberty and an enlight- 
ened patriotism.' 1 * — N. Y. Indepen- 
dent 



Of Utah Moral Worth. 

" He takes more distinct cogni- 
zance than is usual of the religious 
opinions and ecclesiastical move- 
ments which have always been a 
most important and influential ele- 
ment in moulding the character and 
directing the activity of the various 
sections and classes of the American 
people." — North American Review. 

" The religious and Christian ele- 
ments are more emphasized than in 
many popular compends. The pro- 
portion of the parts, too, is well 
maintained. So far as we have ex- 
amined, it seems to us to be a val- 
uable work, and one which fills a 
place hitherto left vacant." — Ameri- 
can Theolcgual Review. 

" The man's heart is in his work, 
and he has put his Christianity in it 
as well, and these merits, combined 
with its accuracy and succinctness, 
will render this volume acceptable 
to every student worthy of the 
name." — Toronto Globe. 

Best of Its Kind. 

'• The work has received full com- 
mendation from eminent scholars 
and from the press. It is a work of 
merit, adapted to the families of 
America Narrative, descrip- 
tion, biography and philosophy play 
their several parts, while the great 
features of history, political, religious 
and educational, stand out with in- 
viting distinctness." — Nashville Ban- 
ner of Peace. 

Mr. Patton's style is deserv- 
ing of unqualified praise. It is pure, 
simple, strong, free from mannerism, 
and singularly easy and graceful. 
We anticipate for the work a cordial 
reception and extensive popularity 
among those who know how to prize 
the best books." — North American 
Review. 

" As a convenient family history, 
portable and easy of reference, Mr. 
Patton's work cannot fail to fall into 
very general use." — N. Y. Herald. 

"This history will be preferable 
to any one yet published of our 
country." — Detroit Advertiser. 



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FORDS, HOWARD, & HULBERT, Publishers, 

27 Park Place, New York, 
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"Deserve* high praise for comp ress ing so much into so small « compass without omitting 
the details that enliven and the colors that allure."— Philadelphia North American. 



*' An admirable compemUnm oj luterican UiatoryS* BOSTON JOURNAL, 

A CONCISE HISTORY 

01 i III 

Am erigan Peoplj 

By Jacob Hakims Patton, A.M. 

Illustrated with Portraits, Charts, Maps, etc., containing Margined 
References^ and a full Analytical Index. 

Piot. Paiton's History of the American People differs from other his- 
tories in some important particulars, the chief one being well set forth by Mr. 
John Austin Stevens, Editor of the Magazine of American History, in a no 
of the work. He says: 



this admirable volume, which i~i 

known i" n I anj mment, is to hold a middle 

i ies .mil the 51 hi "I com- 
• 

1 ..id ilu institutions, moral and polit- 

as he foumi ihem 

bj tin.- best a tton has drawn from 

them the lesson he rd, the plan is 

• adopted by John Rich. ml Green in 

his lli-t iry .if the English I*c >j>1<-. 

"Wei attention to chapter XXIV., on the 

characteristics of the colonists, a ■< example of 

i historical presentation. In .1 few p*ges 

il .111 1 religious trails which were the peculiar fiber 



of our revolutions ht into relief, 

and their influence 1 1 j «« » 1 1 the 1 
shown, . . 

" The chapters which tn 
the commendation they l 
and impartiality. They bear th 
mind. 

" Here again in chapter I. VII. we find a n' tic e of .lie in- 
fluences which molded the chai. 

nth. He who would understand the 
rapid revolution in national thought, 1 
irrc-.i-.uble force into a homogeneous whole the hilhi 
cordant eleme 
these causes. . . ." 



The special aims and characteristics of the work may be summarizi 
follows : 

1. To present facts and conclusions without argument, relating only such 

events, and their causes, as led to influential results. (The work contains, however, many inter- 
esting facts not to be found in more extended histories.) 

ii. To do (his concisely and tersely, but with sufficient fullness to give an 

interesting How of narrative, and enable readers to form just conceptions of the story as a whole : 
insuring completeness by occasional informal summaries of less important but connecting events. 

3. TO deduce from this n philosophy Of CSUSeS which have made the American 
people what they are ; drawing careful pictures of the inner life and characteristics of the Col 

and the people of the Slates, at different stages of development, with a concluding summary of the 
striking results of six generations of the differing systems of Education as shown in the Census of 
culminating in the great Civil War. 

4. The War and its battles and consequences are treated with singular impartiality and 
clearness, much praise having been awarded the book on that account. 

5. Industrial, Commercial, Political, and Moral developments receive 

marked and ample notice, a special feature being the Author's conscientious tracing of the inllu 
ence of the Bible, and the Christian religion in its broader lines, on the character and conduct and 

ral growth of the people. 

<>. Special facilities for Reference are found in the continuous Marginal Dates, 
rences from one part of the work to another, interesting Statistical Tables, and a very 
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